Dunlop KT-26
Encyclopedia
Dunlop Sport (Australia)
Dunlop Sport is a division of Pacific Brands of Australia. The company is not connected to Sports Direct, which owns rights to the Dunlop brand outside Australia and New Zealand.Dunlop Australia first manufactured sandshoes in 1924...
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The KT-26 was developed in 1976 by Jerry Stuberfield in Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, USA. Stuberfield , an Athletics
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
coach, came up with the principle of Kinetic Action and developed the unique lugged sole to apply this principle to a modern running shoe.
The design of the shoe has remained unchanged since creation aside from a change from semi-translucent yellow sole surface to solid black. Dunlop was so impressed with the shoe that they took up the sole rights to market the shoe in Australia. Over five million pairs of the KT-26 have been sold since.
The KT-26 has become a standard clothing issue item for many Australian factory workers. At one point the Australian Occupational Health & Safety Department realised that there were thousands of factory workers wearing these shoes without steel safety toe caps. Although uncommon for such a light shoe to feature a steel cap, Dunlop was quick to solve the problem by creating a ‘safety’ version with a steel toe cap.
Dunlop KT-26's have become ubiquitous fashion items within rugged countries such as Papua New Guinea, where they are prized for their low cost, sturdy construction and superior tread pattern. The shoe's tread pattern is particularly useful in muddy conditions, which has helped it to become the footwear of choice for competitors in the Kokoda Challenge, a race over the length of the Kokoda Track.
Kinetic Action
Kinetic action means that the shock waves are taken sideways and very little up the back of the leg making the shoe extremely comfortable for running and walking. The sole is designed so that when running or walking the impact and stress of the movement is directed away from the foot in an even distribution this improves not only the comfort of the person wearing the shoe, but their overall stability, support and control. Many podiatrists and chiropodists have recommended the KT-26 to help overcome foot problems.Name
KT is short for Kinetic, and 26 represents the number of miles in the famous race, the marathonMarathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
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