Natural(?) running according to TeVa

Nop, the question mark is not a mistake. Read on and I will explain why I put the '?' in the caption of this blog.

The current development of running shoes is less sole, less drop, less cushioning, less heel landing and more forefoot landing. A more natural approach to running even resulting in, what I call 'gloves' for the foot.

TeVa looks at this development an thinks "Why not change the shoe instead of the running pose of so many runners? Lets take of the heel cushion and make a more round sole which makes it easier to roll from heel to toe.
TeVa want a chip of the growing market of off trail running such as mudruns.

"We took our testing beyond the traditional flat environments of a lab and developed a way to test both uphill and downhill movements, mimicking the various terrains of the outdoors," said Geoffrey Gray , Doctor of Physical Therapy at P3. "Our extensive data showed that the TevaSphere represents the best combination of performance and stability of any hiking, walking or running shoe we tested."

The TevaSphere design stands in stark contrast to bulkier, squared-off heels and over-cushioned insoles of other athletic shoes. It also addresses the poor support found in "minimalist" footwear that encourages consumers to change their stride to adapt.

"The majority of consumers continue to land on their heels whether running or walking," said Chris Hillyer , Innovation Manager at Teva. "We felt compelled to create a technology that allows people to transition through their stride in a natural way without expecting the consumer to change."

(quotes van PRnewswire)

TeVa thinks heel landing is the more natural style of running for most runners and instead of changing your style they adapted the shoe. Of course I am no expert and certainly did not do al the research they say they put into it but looking at all the developments going on I tend to the idea of the barefoot approach of a more fore or mid foot landing. Hence the question mark in the caption.
And yes I agree, I also land on my heels certainly when I am tired at the end of a run. But yes I try to change to a more forefoot landing, smaller and quicker stride.

According to the article the shoe will be available from February 2013. As of now I can only find two women shoes on Amazon.com (see below the video).