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Sole-enhancing opportunities

Bloomies test shoes - support is key - and peruse gear at prerace trade show

Jody Lawrence-Turner  •  Staff writer
Published May 3, 2008

Rick Noll considers two types of shoes at the Road Runner Sports booth Friday at the Bloomsday trade show at the convention center.The Spokesman-Review (Christopher Anderson The Spokesman-Review) Sunday street closures •Riverside Avenue between Lincoln and Post streets (starting area), 5 a.m. •Monroe Street bridge, 5:30 a.m. •Washington Street couplet, 7 a.m. •All streets along the Bloomsday course, 8:15 a.m. Downtown streets will reopen about 11:30 a.m.; all others are set to reopen at 2 p.m.

Andrew Coleman had narrowed his choice of running shoes to two styles of Brooks - Adrenalines and Trances.

The 17-year-old goes through two or three pairs a year. Coleman was at the Bloomsday trade show Friday to get a good deal on the shoes that usually cost about $90.

He decided on the Adrenalines.

"Brooks fit me best," Coleman said. They have "pretty decent support."

The trade show features fitness products, activities and events to entertain Bloomies as they pick up their timing chips, race numbers and other information. It's held at the Spokane Convention Center, 334 W. Spokane Falls Blvd., until 6:30 tonight. The race is Sunday.

Sales were off to a strolling start Friday, but retailers were confident they would improve today.

"Typically it's our biggest (sales) weekend of the year," said Nate Kinghorn, son of the owner of Runner's Soul, which sells shoes and other running gear.

New Balance, Sports Authority and Big 5 were among other retailers selling shoes.

Sharon Barnes shopped in the Nordstrom Rack area. After a two-year hiatus, she planned to run in Bloomsday.

For women, a new option in sportswear made its Spokane debut at the trade show: the Nuu Muu is an exercise dress.

Boise resident Christine Nienstedt, 35, designed the dress. It's made with a nylon-Lycra sports blend material. It feels like a swimsuit and costs about $55. She wears it over running shorts for marathons and exercise and said the dresses also work for water sports, biking or other activities.

Said Nienstedt: "It helps women feel good when they are working out – they feel feminine, attractive and comfortable."