What made the Jasaris such a special spike?

Prevailing wisdom then was that more minimal shoes were better.

Different color on the opposite sides makes all the difference.

https://youtu.be/_5kQ0oCkj7M

runner420 wrote:

Different color on the opposite sides makes all the difference.

https://youtu.be/_5kQ0oCkj7M

The opposing colors was so cool to 14 year old version of me. Then a few years later, they came out with the same color scheme in the rival Ds for us poor kids.

The upper on it was great.

The sole/ spike plate was awful.

But yet it was Nikes top spike for years

Pretty sure El G wore them, which made them super cool. I preferred the ventulus spikes myself.

ElG and Kennedy wore them in Atlanta 96 w the original eldoret plate.

Sara Bein won footlocker in them.

gabe jennings was a fan

jasari upper / eldoret spike plate was possibly the best spike of all time

#1 they were light. #2 they had a snug fit that almost felt like you were running barefoot. #3 the spikes weren't removable so they didn't need extra thickness for threaded fasteners. #4 they looked cool.

Just absolutely such a change in concept at the time. Different from anything anyone had even considered.

Plus, Komen was destroying the track in them (eldo plate, however).

popeye doyle wrote:

jasari upper / eldoret spike plate was possibly the best spike of all time

This guy knows.

popeye doyle wrote:

jasari upper / eldoret spike plate was possibly the best spike of all time

I think victory 3 upper, victory 1 plate is also a contender

EPO

Great question because they were great spikes and probably are the most iconic distance running spikes of all time. As for what made them so great...

- Weight: Fixed titanium pins, half length plate, just a simple spacer/air mesh upper with only a swoosh on it. Under 100g at sample size

- Wearability: Hard to think you could get a more comfortable spike in terms of foot proprioception. The upper was (as mentioned) a 2mm thick spacer mesh which means you could lace it nice and snug and it almost felt "padded" on your foot (or socklike as someone mentioned). No comparison to the net meshes used today with bonded overlays that are stiff, non-compliant and honestly over-built. Another advantage of these meshes are that they do a great job absorbing moisture (sweat). The Jasari had a high end microfiber suede tongue that did the same. Light, cool and dry - perfect. In terms of the plate, it was only forefoot so the whole shoe was super flexible and allowed natural movement - primarily why it was a favorite with East African runners in particular.

- Uniqueness: Might sound trivial but the color scheme/blocking of the medial lateral was genius. It had never been done before, looked cool and was completely unique. Athletes wanted to wear them and felt good in them.

- Validation: I mean maybe the most talented distance runner ever wore them (Daniel Komen) and so did the most iconic American of the time (Bob Kennedy). The spikes just had the mystique and aura.

And I don't care what anyone says - the Jasari still would stack up today. The primary difference is the lack of cushioning that makes a big difference in workouts and the 10000m with respect to impact fatigue - but the spike is around 30g lighter so it's hard to pinpoint what economy benefit there would be if any, especially from 800-5000m. It's also a spike that worked so well because it wasn't over-thought in terms of design and it was a physical representation of the mindset so many MD/LD runners strove and still aim to achieve. It was simple, not overbuilt and no more than what was needed - it was a true runners spike and totally timeless.