Old Onitsuka Tiger racing flats

Tiger Marathons were a little lighter than the Tiger Bostons, which were probably 11-12 oz.

Now I'm Curious wrote:

I was reading a thread elsewhere on "letsrun" where some old timers referred to a blue and white striped Onitsuka Tiger racing flat. Perhaps the 'Marathon'?

Is this the shoe you're talking about (by Adidas):

I think this is the shoe that was on the front cover of the second Jim Fixx running book. I'd be curious to know the weight. It looks heavy.

Which shoe was on the front cover of the first Jim Fixx book? Red Onitsuka Tigers.

Do you dorks know what size shoe is used when you\'re told what the weight is? Also, do you know that if you size is larger then it\'s gonna be heavier? And the opposite if smaller. Just a thought. The weight of the shoe, especially spikes, is insignificant.

dumb vs. dork.

"the weight of the shoe is insignificant"? If someone is looking for a lighter shoe, how would that be insignificant? And thinking a letsrun poster doesn't understand that larger feet means slightly heavier is moronic. Go dorks.

The old Tiger Marathon was around in the early 1970s (I wore them in 70-75). The shoes (size 10) probably weighed 5 or 6 oz. each.

There was NOTHING to them. They had a simple blue nylon upper, stitched to a white rubber sole that was all of a 1/4 in. thick, with maybe 1/2 in. under the heel.

Some people actually did run marathons in them.

No not those. The Jim Fixx shoes is correct, but the one's I knew were blue.

I am referring to the Pleistocene Era (1968-1972) and NO we were never told what the shoes weighed.

THANK you very much. Those are indeed the shoes I was referring to.

We never got injured in those old shoes, got our butts kicked in races yes, but never injured.

I knew that shoe as the Tiger PINTO, correct me if i am wrong.

Those Pintos would explode in a huge ball of flame if you ever accidentally stepped on one sideways. Very dangerous shoe!

yes, fewer injuries back then. You landed closer to the ball of your foot than the heel. More natural, like running bare-foot. No big chunck of rubber under the heel to shorten the calf and mess up your achilles. back then before the running boom shoes were made solely for competitve athletes but then became mass-market consumer item, big money.

old timer wrote:

The old Tiger Marathon was around in the early 1970s (I wore them in 70-75). The shoes (size 10) probably weighed 5 or 6 oz. each.

There was NOTHING to them. They had a simple blue nylon upper, stitched to a white rubber sole that was all of a 1/4 in. thick, with maybe 1/2 in. under the heel.

Some people actually did run marathons in them.

So, I'm guessing the shoes on the cover of the first Jim Fixx book were the Tiger Marathons? These look (and sound!)like a good minimalistic shoe to try. However, I haven't seen a remake yet.

old timer wrote:

The old Tiger Marathon was around in the early 1970s (I wore them in 70-75). The shoes (size 10) probably weighed 5 or 6 oz. each.

There was NOTHING to them. They had a simple blue nylon upper, stitched to a white rubber sole that was all of a 1/4 in. thick, with maybe 1/2 in. under the heel.

Some people actually did run marathons in them.

Right you are! Have a pic in my hi school yearbook showing me wearing a pair in an indoor race...that'd be '70. The cost: $9.95. Got mine from Dick Pond.

Looked up the price in the Sept '69 Distance Running News that has a pic of Lindgren and just-out-of-high-school Pre racing the Russians in the LA Coliseum...on a cinder track.

This is the Jim Fixx cover.

Looking at the Jim Fixx cover I can't tell if those are the Tiger Marathons (in red rather than blue) that I am talking about. It looks as if the shoes Fixx is wearing might have a thin layer of tread, with a midsole above that. the Tiger Marathon had only the thin white hard rubber sole -- an that was it.

The Fixx shoe almost looks like a Tiger version of the Nike Obori (sp?); which had thin gum rubber sole as tread.

From runners-forum.com (I think)

Date: 05 Apr 2004 05:45:57

From: TopCounsel

Subject: Re: shoes on the cover of Fixx's book

>On the cover of Jim Fixx's first book of running, there's a red pair

>of what looks like ASICS shoes on someone's feet (Fixx's?). does

>anyone know what model these were?

It is the same maker as ASICS, but at the time these shoes were very common and

were known as Onitsuka "Tigers."

Believe it or not, you can still buy them! And yes, the soles are thin, but

this is not unlike a lot of the running shoes of the late 70's.

YES! YES! YES! Bull's eye!

Those are the shoes, the only difference is color.

HELLO ASICS? These are the shoes. How 'bout it?

WHERE can you buy them is the issue.

ASICS has said they are not available, something about markets and the stuff they have now being better.

A recent conversation with a shoe guy from LOCO resulted in this info:

"The market is directed at the 80% of the shoe buyers who are Not runners. Runners make up 20% of the market."

Head's up.

Truer words have never been said.

The running boom killed the running shoe.

For the record, i run in the Onitsuka 81's again after running in them with the GBTC group back in the late 70's, 80's...(Thanks, Flem) and I found that my legs were not able to respond to them as they had back then.

Have a good day all...