Nike Flyknit Racer

The Nike Flynit Racer

Nike is an impressive company. Like it or not they have changed most sports and if you are one of the frothing-at-the-mouth die-hard Minimalists, they have irrevocably changed the way we run for the worse. Innovation and change go hand in hand. Change is always a tough pill to swallow for a runner. Just as soon as you find a shoe that you feel finally works for you it is improved beyond all recognition from its frumpy but lovable and dependable self. Nothing really remains the same with Nike. Old favourites are just old and are done with and running in Nike shoes is a little bit like having an extra marital affair. It can be deliciously exciting though you know it will be short-lived and probably end in all sort so of boiled rabbits and poisonous recriminations. But then there is always something exciting around the corner...

That rambling preamble aside, the Nike Flyknit Racer is the shoe de jour, at least on this blog. London 2012 rolled around and the Flyknit was presented to the world as the business end of some incredibly fast Kenyans ( Whatever you do don't mention ze Meb). So I had to get me a pair, and they have been my favourite racing shoe since. Of course one must flirt with other shoes but this is the kind of shoe that you wheel out on special occasions. 

Putting them on after all the hype I was a little disappointed. The Flyknit did not feel the way I expected. They were snug yet roomy but it had not of the elastic stretch that you get from Ino8 or Zoots, or even the Nike Free line. The sole felt hard and I worried whether they would hold me for the distance of a marathon.I did the usual thing of running a few paces in the running store, that just made me look silly, but it did not make the shoes feel any better. Disappointed I decided that the Flyknit was really a trumped up tea doily with some rubber underneath but I bought them anyway. 

The genius behind the Flyknit technology - some designer's granny. 

I decided to test them on the track for a few tempo workouts and if they passed that test I would use them on a tough 25km round the island race on Spetses. If didn't they would be my colourful crochet coffee shoes for summer days. Something interesting about the shoe is that it feels clunky, hard and vaguely ill-fitting at slow speeds. But when you start running quickly the shoe become instantly forgettable and just part of your foot. I never had the slightest inkling of rubbing or a blister. They come in at a ridiculous 212 grams for a US 12, supported my foot well, and are extremely breathable. It is quite refreshing to feel the wind on your toes when you run. 

The Upper

The FlyKnit Racer is all about the upper. The upper is a brilliant piece of design, a solid knitted meshed that laced together by FlyWire, which holds your foot in place and the result is neat and simple upper with nothing extra thrown in. There are no strips of extra plastic to reinforce or support, it is all there provided in the mesh and wire. 

To some it up, the upper is light, supports your foot well and perhaps what I like best is how breathable it is. Races in Greece are often very warm affairs and this makes it ideal for warm weather running. I would even use these for up to Olympic distance triathlon because of the midsole support and outstanding breath-ability. 

Highly breathable - the light test 

The Sole

The sole is quite a chunky affair when compared to many other racing flats and it has a larger than common heel drop with its competitors. Even the Flyknit trainer has a less accentuated drop. However the drop is relative on this shoe. The foam used in the midsole is quite soft and the forefoot area rubber is a lot stiffer, meaning that when you wear them, your heel sinks in lower relative to your forefoot. This means the shoe performs more like a racing flat but with added cushioning. 

What I liked

• Lightweight - 212 grams for US 12
• Highly breathable
• Enough support and padding to last most runners through to a marathon
• The fibres are wound out of recycled polyester/PET bottles, the rubber on the outsole  is recycled too.

What I don't like but doesn't matter...

It is definitely built for a narrow foot shape and it is not for everybody. I would have preferred a wider forefoot and I don't like that the shoe draws to a point above your second toe. It is not a natural foot shape. 

But really, after all, this shoe does what it says on the tin. It is a performance shoe and it needs to be run in that manner. They are not meant for training miles or slow recovery runs - and they will let you know it. Move up a gear in speed and they smooth out considerably.

It is a shoe that is worn for an occasion.