PUBLISHED 09/15/2006
A piece of gear can change your life. It's true. A stability shoe may be the difference between running or being sidelined by an injury. Chip timing can eliminate minutes from a marathon, finally qualifying you for Boston. The treadmill says, "weather be damned," so you never have to miss a run. Since Runner's World launched in 1966, leaps in technology have revolutionized our sport, making running more comfortable and fun, training more precise and effective, and racing more competitive and inclusive. On the following pages are the biggest breakthroughs. We love this stuff because it changed everything.
1974: Nike Waffle trainer
By Joanna Sayago
Breakthrough: Added cushioning to each footstrike--and launched the world's largest athletic-shoe company
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| Courtesy Nike |
Convinced there was a better way to make a running shoe, University of Oregon coach Bill Bowerman took matters into his own hands--literally. In 1971, he poured a urethane mixture into the most advanced molding tool he had--his wife's waffle iron. Bowerman then cut and stitched the cooled, flexible sheets of rubber onto nylon uppers and formed the first pair of waffle-soled racing flats. The square, rubber segments better absorbed impact, offering unparalleled cushioning, and made for a much lighter shoe. Bowerman's fledgling shoe company, Blue Ribbon Sports (better known today as Nike), introduced the Waffle Trainer (left) to the public in 1974. It quickly became the best-selling training shoe in the country and prompted the rest of the industry to rethink a shoe sole's material.
Fresh Thinking: Nike hasn't stopped innovating. In 2004, the company introduced Free, a shoe designed to mimic barefoot running, which builds ankle and lower-leg strength.
