Nike runners

Nike Running shoes

When Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman rebranded Blue Ribbon Sports to Nike in 1971, Bowerman was already known for his passionate and unconventional approach to shoe design. This formed the foundation of Nike Running, setting up the brand for its remarkable future success.

Bowerman’s early running innovations included the continuously cushioned midsole of the Cortez, and the Waffle sole, which helped 1974’s Waffle Racer become popular amongst the burgeoning running community. Nike appealed to them through partnerships with athletes like the charismatic Steve Prefontaine and, from the late-70s, inventive adverts for the LD-1000 distance runner and the Daybreak daily trainer, amongst others. In 1979, the Nike Tailwind debuted Air cushioning, setting the stage for influential silhouettes like 1980’s Mariah – the first racing shoe with a full-length Air unit – and the iconic Pegasus. Insights from Nike athletes like Mary Decker were used to improve design, leading to success for Joan Benoit and Carl Lewis at the 1984 Olympics, the former winning the inaugural women’s Olympic marathon, the latter donning the brand’s first full-length spike plate as he took four golds.

In 1987, unconventional designer Tinker Hatfield launched the groundbreaking Air Max 1, its visible Air unit supporting future silhouettes such as the Structure stability shoe. In 1995, the technology evolved into lightweight, responsive Zoom Air, which remains a mainstay of the brand’s running models. In the early 2000s, Nike released the beginner-friendly Downshifter and catered to the rising interest in barefoot running with 2004’s minimalist Free technology. In 2006, a high-mileage daily trainer known as the Vomero launched another key Nike Running franchise ahead of high-quality racing shoes like 2008’s Victory – a middle-distance running spike – and the popular Zoom Streak 3 in 2009.

In the 2010s, established performance technologies like Zoom Air and Flywire lacing were applied to everyday runners such as the Winflo, while new innovations caused a radical shift in the running industry. The world’s first super shoe, the Vaporfly, featured a groundbreaking combination of ZoomX foam and a carbon-fibre plate, which saw it dominate the 2016 Olympic marathon as the Nike Superfly Elite experienced success in the sprint events. The Vaporfly revolutionised distance running and inspired other advanced silhouettes like the Zoom Fly super trainer and the Alphafly – the powerful shoe Eliud Kipchoge wore to run the first sub-2-hour marathon. Alongside this, Nike released a suite of racing shoes for the Tokyo Olympics, with the Maxfly ‘super spike’ for sprints and the Dragonfly for middle-distances. Meanwhile, for casual runners, the Infinity Run combined React foam with Flyknit and Flywire for reliable long-distance training, and 2021’s Invincible paired ZoomX with Flyknit to support daily runs. One year later, Nike completed its comprehensive racing lineup with the Streakfly – a shoe optimised for distances up to 10k.

Today, Nike Running continues to have a significant impact on running culture, forming the bedrock of the brand’s ongoing success with a concise collection of high-quality silhouettes for all levels, abilities and distances built on over five decades of innovative design heritage.