Racing flats choice

i tried on the nike zoom marathoner and wore it around my house for a while before returning it. I liked the build of the shoe for the most part but the toe box was too narrow for my wide toes. i just wanted it for workouts. i think it would be a good shoe though if you have a foot that fits well with the nike cut. neutral and light, but it also has a sturdy bottom to help you endure many miles.

exactly wrote:

Summary of what I've been told so far:

Asics makes the best shoes.

I'll get injured in the wrong flat (or get blisters, oh my!)

I'm a princess.

Several other options are popular, none of which I asked about in my original post.

Saucony shoes make noise (which doesn't seem like a good thing, they may want to fix that in a later model).

Anyone actually have experience with the 2 flats I asked about, or are you just going to continue to throw out useless info and misunderstand humor?

You were also told to try them on because every flat fits every runner differently. It's not like they're that hard to find in a store somewhere. The marathoner in particular is still everywhere.

The other suggestions were people attempting to be helpful with what they thought might be valid alternatives. Very sorry the help didn't meet your strict standards but it's nice to see how appreciative you are of those who took the time to try to help you. We all wish you the best of luck.

I just got the Zoom Marathoners about a month ago and wore them in a 30K last weekend with no problems. I would have to say that they are not nearly as responsive as the Air Streak Spectrum Plus. Another complaint is that they are a little slick if you're running on wet surfaces. They fit well for me ( I have pretty narrow feet), so that's a plus.

I have both flats. I got the marathoners for longer distances but they never felt right. I wear nike trainers all the time but the last on the marathoners feels funny, and the toe box restrictive. The zoom marathoners never felt right and I ran probably half a dozen races in them and many workouts. I'm a mid-foot striker and the zoom air seems weak. I've loved nike flats in the past but these don't seem to work for me.

I got the Banditos in June and I love them. Perfect for a half up to marathon. Decent support. I recently ran a 15k in them and had no problems afterwards. Granted, I need a little support, I train in the nike structure triax and zoom elite 4's. But, I've had zero injury problems since I started doing workouts twice a week in the Banditos. They're a great sturdier racing flat with a low profile feel to them.

I wear a size 10 in trainers and I took a 9.5 in both flats. I felt they were both true to size.

My only gripe is that both shoes have sparkly shoe laces and all kinds of shiny bullshit trim on them. What is that all about? Why don't they make flats look like spikes, simple and monotone for the most part. What's with all the shiny shit on them? Is that to match the $100 shiny bullshit racing outfit I'm supposed to buy from their respective shoe companies? At least Adidas makes un flashy flats but their isn't much support in the adizeros for races like the marathon.

Make flats in one color like they did in the 70s. White, blue, green, red. Hell, that goes for all trainers as well. Not bright neon colors either. I'm not landing a plane here, just running and racing.

chefdrp wrote:

Have you tried the Brooks T5?

Brooks T5 is a very light shoe. I wouldn't recommend it for the marathon. Or at least try it once on a long run and see how you feel.

If you're looking for a good 7-8 ounce shoe, try the Adizero CS from Adidas. I've been doing threshold runs in the shoe and I think its a good fit.

sigh... wrote:

You were also told to try them on because every flat fits every runner differently. It's not like they're that hard to find in a store somewhere. The marathoner in particular is still everywhere.

The other suggestions were people attempting to be helpful with what they thought might be valid alternatives. Very sorry the help didn't meet your strict standards but it's nice to see how appreciative you are of those who took the time to try to help you. We all wish you the best of luck.

sigh...

Any comments on the Luna racer?

I have the Kayano XIV and use the Asics Gel Noosa Tri 25th for the races (and will use them again in Berlin on the 28th). The Noosa really is much lighter, but I feel they give good support.

exactly wrote:

sigh...

My sentiment exactly.

Go with adidas Marathon 80s or Nike Eagles!

are there any lightweight shoes that have a normal sized heel but are comparable in weight to flats? because of achilles problems caused by flats, I cannot wear flats, but would like to be able to race in shoes lighter than nike skylons. one solution might be shoes shaped like spikes but suitable for running on the roads, because I can race in spikes on the track without problems. (my spikes have a low heel but they compensate for that with a thinner front sole, so that the achilles isn't stretched as much as in flats).

i second the brooks t5. after trying the zoom marathon, i bought the t5 and they worked very well. nice curved build and the toe box is pretty wide. at the same time the rest of the shoe fits nicely like a sock. smooth ride in them. i feel like they have a good amount of medial support. definitely recommend.

DS Trainer

kayano fan wrote:

anyone have any suggestions for a marathon shoe for someone who trains in and loves the asics kayano? ie same type of fit and support, but a little more minimal...

jonesy. wrote:

are there any lightweight shoes that have a normal sized heel but are comparable in weight to flats? because of achilles problems caused by flats, I cannot wear flats, but would like to be able to race in shoes lighter than nike skylons. one solution might be shoes shaped like spikes but suitable for running on the roads, because I can race in spikes on the track without problems. (my spikes have a low heel but they compensate for that with a thinner front sole, so that the achilles isn't stretched as much as in flats).

Try flats with heel wedges inserted.

expert wrote:

jonesy. wrote:

are there any lightweight shoes that have a normal sized heel but are comparable in weight to flats? because of achilles problems caused by flats, I cannot wear flats, but would like to be able to race in shoes lighter than nike skylons. one solution might be shoes shaped like spikes but suitable for running on the roads, because I can race in spikes on the track without problems. (my spikes have a low heel but they compensate for that with a thinner front sole, so that the achilles isn't stretched as much as in flats).

Try flats with heel wedges inserted.

Or just wear flats more often..at least in workouts. I train in flats now (since May '07). When I started, I had some achilles pain at first, so I tried the heel inserts. Helped the achilles, but put too much pressure on my forefoot and I ended up with a metatarsal stress fracture. Now I'm not steering you away from flats, I'm just showing you that trying to fix one problem can lead to another if you are dependent on supportive/cushioned shoes or devices.

If you want shoes shaped like spikes, but for the roads you could try cross country flats such as the Saucony Kilkenny. Although I don't see how you have problems with flats and not spikes unless it's because you run less/shorter races in spikes.

expert and tx, thanks for the advice. I tried heel cups in the flats before my last race and I immediately felt the achilles, so I had to run in the Skylons. The Kilkenny's are a good suggestion, but I have to race in nikes for the time being. I set the spikes out against the flats to see why I would have trouble in the flats but not the spikes (I've run up to 10k on the track in the spikes and often 5k) and while the heels were the same, the front sole of the spikes has less of a cushion. hence, the foot is pointed down more in the spikes, which loosens the achilles. rotate your foot upward and then downward and watch the achilles and you will see that this happens. so, I could try to cut down the front sole of the flats, but would probably just get myself injured.

I didn't mean heel cups, I meant something like a 1/2-3/4 insole, sandwiched underneath a full insole. If there is a heel flare/cup on the insole then that part may need to be pared down to let the top insole lay flat. Clearly you are okay with having the foot in that position in the spikes, doubtful that you'd necessarily end up with a problem as a result unless you're particularly delicate.

cheers, thanks.

1500 wrote:

Any comments on the Luna racer?

I was going to, but apparently that doesn\'t fit the OP\'s narrow and restrictive idea of a responsive answer.