Kicksology by Brian Metzler

Kicksology by Brian Metzler

An All-Access Pass to Every Runner's Favorite Obsession

Shoes are a runner's passion and go-to gear; they're also serious business, with consumers shelling out billions of dollars a year for their favorite kicks. But do we know what we're buying? Will they really make us faster? Save us from injury? Between changing science, shifting fads, marketing promises, and modifications in techniques and materials, it's anyone's guess.

In Kicksology, veteran running journalist and self-proclaimed shoe geek Brian Metzler sifts through the lore, research, history, and hype. He explores the power brands and the plucky start-ups, tracks design evolution and visionaries pushing the envelope of innovation, and looks at the controversial relationship between shoes and injury. With compelling storytelling, insider intel, and a peek at what's next, Kicksology is a fun, fascinating ride through the world of running shoes that just may change how you buy your kicks.

Kicksology captures the science, the sagas, and the surprisingly tantalizing backstories surrounding a subject that's as personal and passionate to true believers as any religion. You'll be captivated by this delightfully probing book.

--Christopher McDougall, author of Born to Run

If there's such a thing as a living encyclopedia of running shoes, it's Brian Metzler. His passion for running shoes, their history, evolution, and application is unmatched and speaks to my sole.

--Mario Fraioli, The Morning Shakeout

Brian Metzler has written about shoes for Runner's World, Running Times, Men's Health, Outside, Competitor, Trail Runner, and GearJunkie, and has run in more than 1,500 pairs in his career. His other books include Natural Running, Run Like a Champion, and Running Colorado's Front Range.

Brian Metzler is a freelance journalist who covers running, running gear, and related sports.

A running shoe geek since his prepubescent cross-country team days, Metzler has run more than 75,000 miles in his life, tested more than 1,500 pairs of running shoes, run focus groups for several running shoe brands, raced every distance from 50 yards to 100 miles, raced to the top of the Willis (Sears) Tower in Chicago, run a marathon on top of the Great Wall of China, completed two high-altitude 100-mile ultraruns, completed four Ironman triathlons, and regularly races with donkeys in Colorado.

Metzler was the founding editor and associate publisher of Trail Runner and Adventure Sports magazines and was a senior editor at Running Times as well as Editor-in-Chief of Competitor magazine and Competitor.com. He has written about endurance sports for Outside, Runner's World, Triathlete, Inside Triathlon, Men's Health, and Men's Journal. He is the author of Running Colorado's Front Range and co-author of Natural Running with Danny Abshire and Run Like a Champion with Alan Culpepper.