4. SHOES |
Wearing the right shoes can make a huge difference in cross country. However, while most people think that getting spikes is the most important step to success, wearing proper training shoes is of much greater value. Below are our recommendations:
- Invest in a high-quality pair of running shoes: not cross-trainers, skater shoes or basketball shoes. These will be worn during practice, when legs take the most pounding. The right shoes will help prevent injury. We recommend going to Gazelle Sports in downtown Kalamazoo. The experts at Gazelle will make a recommendation based on what events your athlete is doing, as well as his/her body type, gait, foot type and more. They also offer a 10% discount for all G-A athletes. If you already know what you are looking for, try runningwarehouse.com for a slightly better deal, plus some cool size-comparison tools. Spend as much as you can on a good pair of training shoes--the money is worth it for performance and injury prevention. Many athletes can even wear these shoes for meets.
- As a second priority, buy a pair of shoes for competition, especially if your athlete hopes to compete at a high level. Throwers can buy special throwing shoes and runners/jumpers can by spikes. Be aware that there are different types of spikes for different running events. Spending a lot of money on spikes is not worth it from a performance standpoint. The difference between a $20 pair of spikes and a $100 pair of spikes is mostly in appearance. Firsttothefinish.com has great deals on spikes.
- Our team received a generous donation from the Pace For Poverty—a 5k held in Richland that donates their proceeds to area groups. If you would like assistance buying a pair of quality shoes, just ask—the money is there waiting to be used for that very purpose