Do you remember the first pair of running shoes you bought...

I Need Dis wrote:

I believe Vans deck shoes had the first waffle design and that was early to mid 60's with the first public retail store opening in 1966. They were not running shoes but, they were waffles all right.

A sole that looks like a waffle is not a waffle sole. A Van's 'waffle' sole is an inny. Flat on the bottom with a waffle pattern of indentions. The running shoe waffle is an outy - the waffle pattern projects down from the flat sole forming studs. It is reported that Bowerman came up with it by pouring urethane into a waffle iron in 1970.

HRE wrote:

Adidas Roms. White with blue stripes, leather uppers and nothing that would count as cushioning. They were heavy but durable.

My first shoes were also a pair of Adidas Roms. They sure tore up your feet while they were being broken in. After that I had a pair of Tiger Cortezes. They were also leather.

CSU-1959 wrote:

It is reported that Bowerman came up with it by pouring urethane into a waffle iron in 1970.

I think I read on LetsRun that he was trying to develop the perfect shoe for running a marathon on a track.

Getting back on topic, my first pair of spikes were white leather Pumas with red and blue trim. I remember I ran xc in them at Van Cortlandt with 3/4" spikes which I thought would be great for the sandy 'Cowpath'. Coming down a step hill I stepped on (and nailed myself to) a tree root and took a leg wrenching face plant.

I can't believe how many people started with the same shoes I did: Nike LDV 1000, yellow with blue swoosh, Santa Barbara 1979

Brooks Vantage, loved those shoes. Ruined them in a motorcycle accident on the way to see Arthur Lydiard speak. Made it to about 3 blocks away.

Yes, the Rom's were a manly shoe. They toughened you up in several ways. I got the leather Cortez as my next shoe as well and found it a big improvement and cheaper as well. When the nylon Cortez came along I thought I was in heaven.

My first shoes were the Adidas SL72's for training and the Puma "Flat"s for racing. Those Pumas were practically nothing - white leather uppers on a thin slab of gum rubber that was about 1mm thick in the rearfoot and was a bit thicker with some horizontally oriented ridges in the forefoot. They narrowed down to about 1 inch wide, like a pair of ladies dress shoes, at the arch. It was like running in earth shoes (negative heel), and my calves would be screaming at me for the next couple of days after a race.

adidas country. white leather, green stripes. wow.

Has anyone got a list of released Mizuno shoes (names & years) for the past 10-13 years? I can't find anything. I had boring white ones, non-wave and I ran my first HM in them.