Nike Air Equilibrium.
That or the Mayfly.
Nike Air Equilibrium.
That or the Mayfly.
Those Marathon 80's had the heel flare on them that would hit your calf about 10 times in a 10K (I know you will blame my mechanics) race and I remember that really hurt.
I thought that part of the design, same as the Marathon trainers, was flawed.
#1 - Nike air edge (1985) Best running shoe ever.
It's amazing how the Nike line dominates this thread, I have to agree. Back in the late 70's and 80's it had to be Nike racing flats.
#1-Mariah, my all time favorite training/racing shoe. I'd love to have some of them to train in today.
#2-Terra TC, loved them for training and marathons. I used to have smaller feet and could wear women's sizes. I bought a pair in the light blue color that Alberto ran his marathons in. I thought I was so cool.
#3-Eagle-I've got a picture of me running in the Macy's Marathon in KC ('80) and I'm wearing the gray and navy eagles. I can't believe I could run marathons in those shoes back then. And to top it off, this race was less than 1 year after I was in a bad car wreck where I broke bones in both my feet, my wrist and compression fractures in my back.
Who needs a cushioned shoe?
I do now a days!
I agree completely with the Spiridon Gold. I had some in the mid-80s, too, and loved them.
original reebok racer x, probably released in 1990-91
I can't remember of the flats I used to wear in college. They were green adidas flats with some red on them. Probably available from 1994-96. Anyone?
They were terrific for tempo/long intervals and 10k+ road races. Much better than any of the shoes you can get now.
I also have a narrow foot and got a good fit and feel out of the Nike Sarones around 1992-93.
Number one for me would be American Eagle by Nike.
Number two would be Air Mariah by Nike
I didn't really like the Terra TC, I thought they were too cushiony.
Anerican Eagles were the shit. I don't think you could get too many races in them before they were destroyed however.
I have very fond memories of the Nike Elite.
I was a swimmer in my youth and took up running at age 24. Bought a pair of Elites about 6 months after I began in the winter of 78-79. Still remember what it felt like to wear them for the first time running in them doing a set of alternating fast/slow 200s in the Shell at UW-Madison.
I recently started running a little more seriously again at age 50 and in a moment of mid-life crisis, bought a pair of Brooks T3 which I really like. I race in them and wear them for tempo runs about once a week. I have a weird footplant in my left foot due to tendon damage from an auto accident and my foot actually feels better in the T3's than in training flats.
I've worn the Duelists and the Mariahs, but the American Eagles are a far better shoe for fast racing. They feel like you racing in a pair of socks, yet they are well cushioned. The difference to me is that the Duelists and Mariahs had high and narrow midsoles while the American Eagles have low and wide midsoles, yet they feel just as cushioned. I've long since disposed of my Mariahs and Duelists and even my Jayhawks (which are a close second in my opinion to the American Eagles), but I still have a pair of the red, white, and blue American Eagles that are still very raceable. I've known from the minute I scored these shoes to take very good care of them.
I've almost succumbed as sc did and worn them as casual footwear, but I've managed to restrain myself so far.
As for cross country flats, the Tiger Freaks (Blue, white, orange w/ yellow on the back)are the best.
Isn't it amazing people are paying $80 for late 80s waffle racers in weird colors to wear as casual footwear? Who would have thought that you could charge double by re-issuing old shoes?
nike sarone
I think the Nike Zoom Streak XC (current model) is one of the best racing flats I have ever worn! I've been using them for both training and racing.
But, the Terra TC was a great shoe - my first true racing flat. Also liked the Duelist and Spirodon Gold.
The American Eagle was way too stiff - no cushioning at all.
I've worn Mariahs, but basically for training. In fact, I have a pair of Mariahs (size 9.5, white/purple) still in the box in my closet - unused.
I would have to say the original Asics Tiger Excalibers. Not the GT that came after...
The shoe was the perfect racer for any road race...
Reebok Paris, at least I could look like Steve Jones around mid 80's.
I second this...I had a pair of the Reebok Racer X and ran some great races in 'em.
dogscalder wrote:
original reebok racer x, probably released in 1990-91
Nike Axis for long stuff. Nike Mariah and Reebok Racer X for 5 and 10.
I've worn Mariahs, but basically for training. In fact, I have a pair of Mariahs (size 9.5, white/purple) still in the box in my closet - unused.[/quote]
Wow! I'd offer to buy them off you, but I have two problems:
1) regardless of what earlier threads said, many years of many miles have destroyed my knees and I can't go more than 5 miles now and then only on trails, with well cushioned shoes.
2) As Scott pointed out, I too wore a 9.5 in the 70's and now wear a 10.5 or 11.0. What's up with that?
The original Onitsuka Tiger Marathon flat circa 1969-73.
Nike Air Mariah.
New Balance 320, OK so it wasn't strictly a flat, but I used it as one.
Sounds like Nike had a monopoly on flats. Any thoughts about NB/Asics/Brooks/etc flats?
Any NEW flats that compare with the old ones?
Never wore the Eagles, but nothing has come close to my Brooks Hastys. That shoe was/is a ride supreme. For a 5/10K, I always looked for the lightest shoe on the market. Spiridon and Duelist fit the bill, but they were fairly minimal and I felt every inch of the road. I bought the Hastys also because they were light (5.0z but I swear they could be lighter - I'm bringing it along to my daughter's next checkup), but imagine my surprise when each step felt like I was landing on a pillow (FF hydroflow).
Mariahs were a bit heavy and too plush for me.
Did anyone else have a pair of the new balance Comp 100 (1978-80)?
What a great shoe. It weighed almost nothing, but had good cushioning for the roads. I ran some pretty fast times in those.
I would also second the Tiger jayhawk (although I would do more training than racing in the jayhawk: 7-10 mile hard runs)and the Tiger Ontisuka Marathon.
When I started college in 1973, you could go to the Nike "store" in Eugene and get fitted for an upper; and then they would make you a racing flat (basically a white nylon upper and the waffle sole). Those were cool shoes!