If you’ve ever swapped complaints midrun about your gear—“Who actually wants removable bra pads?”; “Why don’t these shorts have more pockets?”—you know the most common gripe of all: Why is it so ...

You might know New Balance as the preeminent source of dad shoes—those chunky, overlay-clad sneakers ubiquitous among lawn-mowing, beer-drinking guys of a certain age. Yes, New Balance still makes ...