Jenny Kincaid Boone

Jenny Kincaid Boone has been running since she was in eighth grade. She competed in cross country and track at Fort Defiance High School (Fort Defiance, Va.) and at Roanoke College, where she was all-ODAC in cross country for four years. When her knees and legs aren't aching from the wear of years of competition, she hits the 19 to low 20-minute range for a 5K.

Recent columns

• A five-miler at the Lake
• Virtual running
• Giving triathlons a try
• Packing energy for the long haul

Adidas’ new computerized running shoe may be intelligent, but it’s likely not fit for the serious runner, local running store owners say. You won’t find the Adidas 1, a shoe equipped with a computer chip that adjusts for different levels of cushioning, in specialty running stores in the Roanoke and New River Valleys.

Some large retailers, such as Dick’s Sporting Goods and Foot Locker, are selling the shoes, said Adidas spokesman Matt Martel. Some Foot Locker stores already have sold out, he said.

In Virginia, the shoes currently are only sold at Dick’s Sporting Goods in Richmond and in Fairfax, and at Nordstrom in McLean.

Local running stores like Fleet Feet Sports in Roanoke and Runabout Sports in Blacksburg likely will not sell the shoe unless it fares well in the mainstream market and proves to be a true running shoe, store owners said.

“The science behind it is legit,” said James DeMarco, owner of Runabout Sports. “All of the running specialty shops are looking into it and looking at what kind of feedback comes from it.”

The shoe has a magnetic sensor that measures the amount of cushioning needed for a particular running surface. The sensor, along with a microprocessor and a motorized cable system, allows the shoe to adjust to become firm or soft during a run. It has batteries that are good for 100 hours of running.

Some customers already have asked Blaine Lewis, owner of Fleet Feet, about the shoe, which was launched in stores on March 18.

But they likely will not pay $250, the price tag on a pair of Adidas 1, Lewis said.

A pair of good running shoes costs about $90, DeMarco said. One pair may last 300 to 500 miles, he said, depending on a person’s body weight and running form. Runners typically go through two pair of shoes a year, Lewis said.

Multiple pairs of shoes at $250 each are a significant investment. Robin Feldman, an Adidas spokeswoman, said people "get what they pay for" when they buy Adidas 1 shoes.

"Sneakers are expensive these days," she said. "This shoe thinks, and it senses and it understands."

But runners are "traditionalists" who do not typically follow the newest shoe fashions, Lewis said. Many will buy the same pair of running shoes, same color and all, for years.

Nike Shox, which are shoes fitted with shock absorbent features, are examples of new products that have taken awhile to win runners’ attention, Lewis said. They’re sold in some sports-apparel and shoe stores and some running shops.

Adidas representatives have not visited Fleet Feet or Runabout Sports to sell the Adidas 1.

“The reps that we deal with are specific running reps,” DeMarco said. “They won’t sell us something that they don’t want runners who are training for 5Ks and 10Ks and even marathons to have.”

But Feldman said Adidas 1 shoes are designed for serious runners.

"It's for someone who wants that cushioning change," she said. The company will continue to launch the shoe in different stores nationwide, with its next launch month in May.

But Adidas is doing something right with the Adidas 1. It is important that shoes have cushioning and support. Lewis said he looks for heal and forefront cushioning when he chooses shoes to sell in his store.

Runners who have high arches need extra cushioning, DeMarco said. Other Adidas shoes, such as the Adidas Super Nova, provide cushioning for people who have high arches, he said.

Runners also wear down the cushioning features in shoes over time. DeMarco said that also could occur with the Adidas 1.

“The longer you run on a shoe, the mid sole compresses,” he said. “The more that compresses, the less cushion you are getting.”

The Adidas 1 is a “gimmick” shoe that may or may not make it into running stores, DeMarco said.

“It’s a shoe that is going to be fashionable,” he said. “But you can get another shoe and pay way less than that.”

Check out Adidas' whiz-bang presentation of the shoe on its Web site.

Upcoming races

April 2: Charlottesville 10-Miler, http://avenue.org/ctc/

April 16: Charlottesville Marathon and Half Marathon, charlottesvillemarathon.com/

April 23: Vinton Baptist Dogwood Challenge 5K, 343-7685