Data-tracking wearables have become nearly as ubiquitous as a good running shoe among athletes, though to date, most companies have designed their devices for users’ wrists. Milestone Sport seeks to buck that trend with its MilestonePod, a shoe-based tracker that monitors distance, pace, cadence, stride length, footstrike and several other metrics, and shoe brand Newton has taken notice.
Milestone Sports and Newton began a new partnership in January, making MilestonePod’s available on www.newtonrunning.com. While the device provides valuable insights to users, it also functions as a convenient way for retailers, or, in Newton’s case, brands, to stay in touch with their customers.
“We provide a platform that can connect runners to various organizations, whether that’s a retailer, a coach or even a doctor or therapist,” Jason Kaplan, CEO of Milestone Sports, says. “We built the platform to enable automated communication.”
That could work in a variety of ways. For example, if your cadence and pace don’t match like they should, the provider could send the user resources on how to improve his or her cadence. Because MilestonePod tracks the lifetime distance on shoes, it can also allow providers to remind users when they need to retire their current pair.
While the MilestonePod doesn’t share your personal data with a brand, it can help companies like Newton know if runners experience the intended outcome of the shoe’s design.
“While Newton [shoes] encourage a more forefoot strike and encourage you not to be a strong heel striker, they have no idea how you run with it,” Kaplan says. “With our system, they can create a query on the platform looking for runners who heel strike and have a high rate of impact, and send them training videos. They can use the platform to help make sure people are running optimally.”
The MilestonePod doesn’t require GPS, meaning it works equally well indoors and outdoors, and automatically starts and stops without requiring you to push any buttons, even if you need to pause during your run. It syncs data over Bluetooth after you’ve finished running, and its battery is designed to last as long as the life of your shoes.
“While [GPS data] is important and pace is important, we think people should be thinking beyond pace, go beyond pace to other metrics to help you feel good and enjoy running,” Kaplan says. “That’s what we’re trying to provide.”
To learn more about the MilestonePod, visit www.milestonepod.com.
