the hole for the lace in the centre of the runner (#5HOLE) WAS TOO CLOSE TO THE STITCHING THAT WAS ABOVE IT. The stitching gave way and therefore, the hole for the lace is now open. You can not tie this area and the shoe is not fitting properly. These shoes are not 1 year old. This also happened to my husband' s shoe, he purchased at the same time, from the same store, but he through his away. I still have another pair of runners (608) purchased 4 years ago and this has not happened to them. I conclude, that the manufacturer has a fault when the lace hole is punched too close to the stitching.. The store Sport Chex says to e-mail your company because they will not do anything about this matter. I hope to hear something regarding this matter. Sincerely N.Smith