Official British Olympic Marathon Trials Discussion Thread - Race is at 8am local (4 am ET, 9 am CET))

Kew imagery wrote:

NERunner00053 wrote:

Think he wore crocs. Much more interesting conversation than making the Olympics at his age after a long career of ups & downs.

Yes, this is true. He was wearing crocs literide (TM) disguised as Nike Next% painted black to disguise the fact they weren't ON running shoes.

"Nike Next%" is confusing due to Nike's naming convention, which could mean the Tempo, the VaporFly or the AlphaFly.

He was wearing the AlphaFly, what Rupp and Kipchoge have been wearing. Bekele is still in the VaporFly.

Jack Daniels Calculator wrote:

He was wearing the AlphaFly, what Rupp and Kipchoge have been wearing. ...

...and what Suzuki wore with his recent 2:04:56 in Japan. Crazy.

I was just being ridiculous to make a point but I'm glad I made it even more ambiguous than I intended!

It was true about Alan Storey and the crocs training though.

No, he was in a blacked out Vaporfly, not an Alphafly.

Same thing he wore last year for 61 at the vitality half.

He does have a shoe sponsor of course, and wore ONs for his most recent London marathon. ON have stated on twitter that they allowed him to wear another brand today to help his Olympic dream. Respect for that

Yeah, this might belong in another string, but.....it IS interesting that any running shoe company (and perhaps especially an above-average-expensive company like On) wants you to buy their running shoes, but is willing to admit that they are either uninterested in, or - much more interesting - actually incapable of making an acceptable racing shoe for their sponsored athletes. I guess I can imagine it not really impacting sales, but it still seems kind of embarrassing. "We might not have the technical expertise to create a decent racing shoe, but yes, please do buy our strange-looking $150 training shoes....."

Jack Daniels Calculator wrote:

Ackley wrote:

Was he wearing On shoes or were they Nike's painted black like Marty Hehir at the US Trials.

Was Hehir running in Adidas at the Marathon Project?

The winner today, Thompson, appeared to be running in a pair of AlphaFly's that were painted black.

AlphaFly's...the ones with the air-pods. The paint didn't stick to the air-pods too well, which was the giveaway. So what is his story? Does he not have a shoe sponsor?

Yes. Hehir wore Adidas at the Marathon Project but Nike Alphaflys at the US Trials in February 2020.

Kew imagery wrote:

I was just being ridiculous to make a point but I'm glad I made it even more ambiguous than I intended!

It was true about Alan Storey and the crocs training though.

I ran in Crocs back in the day. The bounce and comfort was incredible! But the durability was poor.

Ackley wrote:

Jack Daniels Calculator wrote:

Was Hehir running in Adidas at the Marathon Project?

The winner today, Thompson, appeared to be running in a pair of AlphaFly's that were painted black.

AlphaFly's...the ones with the air-pods. The paint didn't stick to the air-pods too well, which was the giveaway. So what is his story? Does he not have a shoe sponsor?

Yes. Hehir wore Adidas at the Marathon Project but Nike Alphaflys at the US Trials in February 2020.

Thanks. So he pulled a Jake Riley, opting for the Alpha's after getting his first pair a day or two before the Trials race?

Alphaflys noteably less popular than Vaporfly still

no farah wrote:

No, he was in a blacked out Vaporfly, not an Alphafly.

I stopped the video and stepped it frame-by-frame. It is not totally conclusive, but it sure looks like there are red and green pockets specifically wear the air-pods are located, and you can really see them scrunch down when he puts weight on them.

If somebody can point to that Instagram photo from today, I'd like to see it.

If the journalists actually focused on the most important piece of running equipment (rather than their endless fluff-and-puff, Mr. H), then maybe we would not have to debate what the actual shoes were.

Jack Daniels Calculator wrote:

runderun wrote:

I'm pretty sure he was wearing painted Vaporflys.

Nope, they were Alphafly's, probably a bit more of a stability challenge on that course versus the VaporFly's.

Nope, they were the ekiden orange and blue vaporfly.

Jack Daniels Calculator wrote:

no farah wrote:

No, he was in a blacked out Vaporfly, not an Alphafly.

then maybe we would not have to debate what the actual shoes were.

It was a Vaporfly.

Not to sound blunt lol, but it's not a debate.

I'm sure someone can link a picture if you really need the proof, but it looks like it was either Eikden colourway or possibly one pink and one green, a slight nod to Jake Smith ;) . But think that might be a bit hip for the 39yr olds.

Jack Daniels Calculator wrote:

no farah wrote:

No, he was in a blacked out Vaporfly, not an Alphafly.

I stopped the video and stepped it frame-by-frame. It is not totally conclusive, but it sure looks like there are red and green pockets specifically wear the air-pods are located, and you can really see them scrunch down when he puts weight on them.

https://ibb.co/v1KPFsP

If somebody can point to that Instagram photo from today, I'd like to see it.

If the journalists actually focused on the most important piece of running equipment (rather than their endless fluff-and-puff, Mr. H), then maybe we would not have to debate what the actual shoes were.

Are you still using VHS? They are vaporfly.

Okay, they do appear more like VaporFlys in this photo...(maybe):

https://ibb.co/kqnLhVb

On a side note, has there been any discussion/explanation for that long pointed tail on the back of the shoes?

Jack Daniels Calculator wrote

And I want more journalists focusing on the footwear.

Just no

Cymru am byth wrote:

Jack Daniels Calculator wrote

And I want more journalists focusing on the footwear.

Just no

So....do you work for ON or Hoka?

Jack Daniels Calculator wrote:

Cymru am byth wrote:

Just no

So....do you work for ON or Hoka?

I sell both.

Cymru am byth wrote:

Jack Daniels Calculator wrote:

So....do you work for ON or Hoka?

I sell both.

Well, that explains it. Believe me, I about choked coughing up over $200 for a pair of running shoes.

Jack Daniels Calculator wrote:

Okay, they do appear more like VaporFlys in this photo...(maybe)

Maybe?

We don’t need journalists to focus on the bleedin obvious.