Nike Luna Racer

Read the last page. Someone's already posted a link that includes the Victory road shoe

Lunar Moan wrote:

Moer images and the weights of the shoes are here:

http://www.shoeguide.co.uk/exec/articles/new_technologies_and_shoes_being_launched_by_nike

Ok sorry

What happened to nike giving these away at the trails? Did not see any of teh runners in them during the race.

None of the top 3 (nor the alternate in 4th) in Nike today, it's a beautiful day!

Kim Pawelek had them and she finished 2nd to last in 3:07

That's not a good advert for them.

What racers was Hall wearing at London and were they the same shoes that Denna was wearing yesterday at the trials? Denna's shoes almost looked like trainers.

Yes, they were the same shoe. Just a new white and blue color of the Hyperspeed II.

This is from the Nike Website. It will be interesting to see if Ritz or Paula decide to slip these shoes on in China. If they don't then this article is B.S. because as you will read Nike makes it seem as though they are nearly perfect.

LunaRacer

Given Flywire’s early success with middle-distance Track and Field events, bringing its lightweight support to distance racing seemed natural. So, too, did marrying the technology with Lunarlite foam, Nike’s most advanced new cushioning system. Flywire works like cables on a suspension bridge, providing precisely engineered support for the foot. The Flywire filaments are placed only where support is required, allowing for the reduction of materials, which equals reduction of weight. Made with Flywire, an upper weighs mere grams, while Lunarlite foam is both lightweight and highly responsive, two qualities which are usually mutually exclusive in cushioning. The foam also distributes the pressure patterns more evenly across the foot to protect it from pain and injury—all important for distance events.

In the Nike Zoom Victory Spike—designed for middle distance Track and Field events—Flywire proved a great success in competition. After Nike athletes Kara Goucher and Bernard Lagat both medaled in the 2007 World Track & Field Championships in Osaka, designers looked at where else the innovation could be applied. The marathon was a natural choice. On race day, marathon runners sacrifice cushioning. It’s not responsive enough, meaning that it absorbs too much energy so marathoners end up expending more energy as they run. The race might be more comfortable but it’s more work, and at 26.2 miles, energy conservation is critical. Nike designers didn’t think distance runners should have to sacrifice either in a road race, so they came up with a lightweight racing flat, the LunaRacer, that wasn’t stiff, that was soft and returned energy to the athlete.

Articulated with flex grooves, the LunaRacer’s outsole follows the foot’s natural motion, while Flywire works with the foot, stretching where an athlete needs it and providing support where it’s needed—almost like an extra ligament. Over the metatarsal area, Flywire gives an important feature in a grueling road race, while simultaneously locking down the midfoot and heel.

The design team found that with a more flexible midsole and outsole, a Flywire upper has a more dynamic fit. As the technology’s creator Jay Meschter explains, “We started to realize the relationship of the bottom of the upper. Because you have an upper that's holding the foot accurately, when you put on firm outsoles, they compromise the fit. With a compliant, moveable outsole, you can actually feel the cable all the way around the foot instead of just landing on this hard plank on the bottom of your foot, which causes the Flywire upper to tent out to the side.”

The LunaRacer weighs a mere 5.5 ounces, and elite athletes who’ve experienced Lunarlite foam cushioning are reporting that after their long runs, they feel less beat up—a good sign for the marathon in Beijing.

i thought i saw 2 pairs in the trials.

Walker Red wrote:

This is from the Nike Website. It will be interesting to see if Ritz or Paula decide to slip these shoes on in China. If they don't then this article is B.S. because as you will read Nike makes it seem as though they are nearly perfect.

It looks as though Paula won't be according to this:

Right that didn't come out. See the article on Olympic footwear here: http://www.shoeguide.co.uk/exec/articles

What is the picture of the shoe with Matumbo written on it. Is that the Matumbo shoe or is that the shoe Lagat wrote on?

It's a grainy image of Lagat's Victory from the World Championships.

That is the Matumbo shoe. He wore the Victory in the 1500 and the Matumbo in the 5k. At that point the shoe had no name. He wrote that on his shoe in marker before the race, and the name was born.

calsnailer wrote:

Which running store? I would actually like to get my hands on a pair of the racers....!

you may be able to find some online somewhere, maybe someone that got a free pair early that didn't want them, maybe E-bay or Craigslist or something.... ?

I just picked up a pair of Lunaracers today - they weigh in at 6.5 ounces on our postal scale here at work. Kinda gooey feeling midsole - I don't have any other comparison as far as other shoes to compare it to.

I didn't think these would be out until October. Anybody know what happened?

My wonderful Nike Zoom Jasari+ iD trainers (that stupid Nike have discontinued if favour of vile/heavier shoes) have died after c.650 miles in about a year (had some months with RSI injury lay offs) and I've just bought their replacements:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/nike-lunaracer-shoes/

(£73.30 with Wiggle newsletter voucher code)

These Lunaracer+ were actually my first choice but they were discontinued and impossible to buy, but after more than a year Wiggle (legit company) seem to have found a stash.

Not to be confused with the 'Lunaracer+ 2', which are vile and far heavier. These are the best marathon shoe you can get - 5.5oz in a size 9! Nike's current lightest shoe is c.9.5oz. They got great reviews:

http://reviews.nike.com/9191/324909/nike-lunaracer-mens-running-shoe-reviews/reviews.htm

(might need a half size up).

They're Nike+ too, so if you have an iPod Touch/Nano or Nike GPS Sports Watch (unlikely - give me it!), you can put the Sport Kit Sensor in them and track and log your runs on the (bug-ridden) Nike website.

...Yep, they're lime green, they sure are.

The 3 yr post gap is interesting.