a conference and expo for running specialty stores, was held last week in Austin, Texas. A reader (thanks Benjamin!) alerted me to a photo that was tweeted by Runner’s World UK of an interesting new shoe coming from Saucony. The Saucony Hattory is a 4.4 oz, zero-drop shoe that is described as follows on the Running Warehouse blog:“Another interesting Nike Air Max 270 Femme model is the Saucony Hattori.  A 4.4 Oz. Zero heel drop trainer that offers a velcro strap closure, and not much in the way of a midsole.  The Hattori will be the most minimal model in the Saucony line.  Given Saucony’s distribution, this should prove a formidable challenger to the smaller brands making Minimal products by virtue of the sheer number of running specialty doors Saucony has open.  Saucony should be a serious player in this category right out of the gate.“The Hattori follows many of the more minimal offerings we have seen so far in replacing a lacing system with velcro straps, and though it’s hard to tell, the upper looks very minimal. One puzzling thing regarding this shoe, if I’m interpreting the image correctly, is that the lateral midsole on the forefoot seems to lack any form of rubber protection (the midsole Nike Air Max 270 Mujer construction in the forefoot appears very similar to the popular Kinvara). For a zero drop shoe, it would seem that this would be essential since midfoot/forefoot striking is going to be encouraged. It will be interesting to see what the midsole composition is and how this might play out in terms of durability in this shoe. Exciting times ahead for minimalist runners!Putting in a few miles out on the roads or trails is a Thanksgiving tradition for many runners. Some of us head out to local Turkey Trots and race with friends and family, and others run a few solitary miles to burn off some calories in preparation for the feast to come later in the day. This year, the dailymile Team has put together what we are calling the Feed the Turkey Virtual Turkey Trot. Whether you are Adidas Superstar Femme running an organized event or running alone, whether you Nike Air Max 90 Femme are a member of dailymile or not, we encourage you to consider joining us for this first-time event.Why should you Feed the Turkey? The answer is simple – because we created this event to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The mission of St. Jude’s is to “advance cures, and means of prevention, for pediatric catastrophic diseases.” Every kid deserves the chance to lead a happy and healthy life, and hopefully to run their own 5k someday, and St. Jude is at the forefront of helping kids who are suffering in ways that no child should. When you enter the Feed the Turkey Virtual Turkey Trot you will be asked to donate $1, $5, or $10 to St. Jude – it’s a small amount, but our numbers are large, and we can make a difference.A few days ago I put up a first look Nike Air Max Tavas Damen review of the much anticipated New Balance Minimus Road www.tonyrusconi.it shoe. Well, the next day the UPS man stopped by again, this time with a box containing Minimus shoe #2, the New Balance Minimus Trail (disclosure – this was a media sample and was provided free of charge). Of the two, this was the one that had me most intrigued since rumors had suggested that it was the more minimal of the two shoes (it is). I wasn’t disappointed. It’s rare for me to find a shoe that nears perfection in almost every way, but my initial gut reaction is that the Minimus Trail comes pretty darned close. As I did with the Minimus Road, what I’m going to do here is give my very initial thoughts on this shoe – you can expect that more will come as I run more miles in them.First things first, the Minimus Trail is a very good looking shoe. I’m a big fan of shoes that Adidas Superstar Mujer make a bold statement with their appearance, and the Nike Air Max Thea Mujer orange and black shoe that New Balance sent me certainly does that. The upper of the Minimus Trail is composed mostly of two kinds of mesh, both of which can be clearly distinguished in the images included with this post. The mesh on the toebox and tongue is a bit more padded than the rest, and is softer to the touch. It also absorbed water like a sponge when running through puddles, which felt a bit unusual, though not uncomfortable.