I am extremely proud to introduce Running Shoes Guru’s newest addition: Ed Ayres.

Ed has been running competitively for the past 54 years (he started at 16!) and has a few achievements under his belt: he founded Running Times, competed -finishing 3rd – in the first ever New York Marathon and he’s currently a record-breaking ultrarunner.

Ed truly is an authority (guru, if you want) in running and he’s decided to share some of his knowledge with us. He will feature a series of articles on Running Shoes Guru for the next few weeks. More in Ed’s own words here below:

Hi, fellow runners! I have just joined with Running Shoes Guru to begin bringing you a new feature, and I’d like to briefly introduce myself.

I’m one of those “old” guys you might see on the trail — I’ve been running competitively for over 54 consecutive years, and still love it! My knees, back, and feet still feel as good as they did when I was 16, and I don’t think that’s just luck. One of the things I’ll be sharing is some thoujghts on how you can keep the body and feet young even though the years keep flying by (and believe me, they do!) My name is Ed Ayres, and my half-century of experience has included coaching both high-school and college cross-country teams, founding one of the major running magazines, finishing 3rd in the first New York Marathon, and–oh, yes–being told by a doctor, 45 years ago, that I had collapsed my arches, would have to wear rigid, full-length stainless steel arch supports for the rest of my life, and could never run again. I guess I knew some things he didn’t! I’ll be writing a series of articles for Running Shoes Guru relating to various ways we runners can build our physical, mental, and spiritual strength by keeping in touch–literally!–with the Earth on which our species evolved and on which we are completely interdependent for our survival and vitality. The series will be entitled RUN WILD, RUN STRONG ! with a new article every week or two. The articles will provide information (and some entertaining and insightful anecdotes) on such topics as short toes vs. long toes, heel plant vs. forefoot plant, blister-proofing the skin on your feet without callous, and the implications of the “persistence hunting” theory of human origins. I’m looking forward to being with you! Ed

Stay tuned for the first article of the series, “Why All Those Bones in Our Feet?” — an entertaining but informative review of why Leonardo da Vinci called the human foot “a work of art and a masterpiece of engineering.

You can read more about Ed and his extraordinary running life at his blog: endurance and sustainability and please feel free to interact with him!