Saw rumors about this and pretty comical that it's actually happening now. Going to make a lot of people upset but it's a hilarious move. Nice for all the unsponsored runners out there though! They'd be crazy not to run in them.

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Benjamin Deal - Professional - Instagram - TriRig - Lodi Cyclery
Deals on Wheels - Results, schedule, videos, sponsors

At least one professional runner ended a cash paying contract <24 days ago with [redacted] & bought a pair of Next % bc the company doesn't have a shoe.

Guess they could have saved $250.

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Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

Heck. They could snag those Alphafly's and unless Nike is including some stipulation where you can't sell them, immediately turn around and sell them for $500+ probably. Win win.

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Benjamin Deal - Professional - Instagram - TriRig - Lodi Cyclery
Deals on Wheels - Results, schedule, videos, sponsors

So have we yet seen any on ebay?? Great way to make a buck, especially for pros sponsored by other companies

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808 > NYC > PDX > YVR
2024 Races: Taupo

Brilliant! Love it lol

Are you a professional, contracted runner? Do you have the funds to buy a can of Rustoleum? If so, you're in luck! Just spray paint your new Nikes and say it's a prototype shoe and then never talk about it again

It’s brilliant they could have 80 plus percent of the field in them.

Genius move

Yes this is checkmate for Nike. Brilliant move.

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https://www.strava.com/...tes/zachary_mckinney

It’s the same thing that Speedo did back in ‘08 at US Trials with the LZR. Anyone who wanted one could swim in one.

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

Just as some pro road teams re-badge wheels and tyres - and previously even TT bikes when they didn't have their own TT frames.
Unpick the swoosh and glue on the sponsor's logo. Sorted.

If this in fact true, and materializes ... If I was a Nike sponsored athlete, I would not be happy that my sponsor and employer is potentially giving away an advantage I may have.

On another note: Some Nike athletes are actually choosing to run in the Next% because they feel it's lighter and is a better shoe for them

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-------------------------
Dave Latourette
http://www.TTENation.com

There was a aero helmet company in Kona one year that did exactly this. Because the Kona count ends up being a marketing bonanza for a lot of products, they just figured we will give a free helmet to anyone that agrees to wear it in the race. Seemed to work out pretty well for them as I recall, forget the company though.

In reality, probably not going to stack the field too much more, have to imagine that anyone without a contract were already in Nike's for the race, and those with other contracts, would be locked in pretty much. Does give them all a new free pair though, and the real benefit is the marketing they are getting from the stunk. Hell, we have a whole thread on it here already!!!

I wonder how much thought an athlete like Des Linden or Jared Ward would think about not running in the shoe company they have a contract with to gain any little advantage? Anyone think someone will pull a Crowie and wear a blacked out pair?

Monty, I have to believe you're joking about not knowing the company that pulled that helmet stunt at Kona. I think it is one that routinely tests pretty poorly when it comes to aero testing.

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Blog: http://262toboylstonstreet.blogspot.com/
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Monty, I have to believe you're joking about not knowing the company that pulled that helmet stunt at Kona.//

Ha ha Nate!! Just wait until you are in your mid 60's, and the constant memory dumps you have to do, just so you can find your car keys that day!! So enlighten us, I think I do recall it worked, and they were the number 1 helmet worn that year. But I was long out of the game by then, and just didnt pay that much attention to all the aero tests back them. As I recall, they were all pretty much bunk, coming up with numbers that just were not real. I get it has gotten better, but when the number crunchers come up with some drag # that says you are going to save 8 to 11 minutes in an ironman, and just from their helmet, then I have to call bullshit. Hopefully todays numbers are more like a minute or two, something that actually might be true!!

a bit rude there...

He’s a project, someone needs to take him under his wing.

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

a bit rude there...//

Nate and I go back aways, so I think we are good here. Like they say down under, just taking the piss out of em!!

Is it though? No doubt we'll see a lot of people running in them and I doubt Nike will choose a subtle colour so they are bound to stand out. But these people would be running in shoes just handed to them. I am sure they are great shoes but if anything like a few hundred people run in a brand new shoe over a competitive marathon there will be problems. How many blisters will there be? How many people pull up injured anyway just this time they have new shoes to blame it on. Is there zero possibility that several bad luck stories look bad when seen together and voiced by disappointed athletes? I always thought 'nothing new on race day' was the golden rule. Surely there is some risk here, isn't there?

I've said it before but if Nike can not only make the fastest shoe but one that works universally and doesn't need a breaking in/getting used to period then it's genuinely astounding.

Rudy Project. They are currently running a sale.

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blog

The wingspan of that joke helped it go way over your head.

The wingspan of that joke helped it go way over your head.//

Doh!!! And I was looking so hard in the response where I had been rude, even copped to it!! I'm like Grandpa on the Simpsons, but at least I finally get it!! You guys just connected a couple 100 more synapses in my brain, thanks!

My guess is the people that will be running in them because they are free, aren’t really a threat to the Nike athletes. I’m also guessing the new shoes aren’t a huge jump over the next% and if that’s the case it’s not a big difference if they have them or not. The unsponsered athletes will be probablybrunning in the next%.

There are a lot of people at trials who are sponsored, they won't be going for the shoes. There are a lot of people at trials who are not sponsored and they will definitely go snag a pair.

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Washed up footy player turned Triathlete.

It also allows Nike to mute the "unfair advantage" angle, since they can say they offered them to everyone for free (hypothetical level playing field).

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ECMGN Therapy Silicon Valley:
Depression, Neurocognitive problems, Dementias (Testing and Evaluation), Trauma and PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

So, how many people are there at trials? Sounds like an insane amount of shoes given away?

Saw a pair (women size 7, from the trials) listed on eBay for $1499 - don’t know if someone will actually pay this buts still this is so crazy

edit: here is the link (while they're still online haha) https://www.ebay.com/...c:g:FJoAAOSwQKteWINg

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Youtube Channel
Meta Endurance

The irony.....if you can’t recall the company it wasn’t necessarily that worth it for them😂.

Around 700. It’s really not when you consider how many shoes Nike makes a year. I have no idea how Nike does production of their shoes because they have more styles and colors than any other company.

The cost of handing out ~700 shoes is pennies for Nike in the grand scheme of things - maybe $200,000 or so, but that's pretty good publicity and is definitely getting a lot of 'free' marketing if you consider social media and regular media coverage of it.

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Blog: http://262toboylstonstreet.blogspot.com/
https://twitter.com/NateThomasTri
Coaching: https://bybtricoaching.com/ - accepting athletes for 2023

My guess is even less than that. I doubt they cost more than 100 to make the cost is all in the design.

It’s just remarkable the number of styles Nike puts out.

I doubt they cost more than 100 to make


Some years ago I was involved in bringing a product in from China (very small involvement). What I learned was that the average cost of products on the dock in China was 1/5th the retail value. Considering the control that Nike has over their production and product, I would guess that their pre shipment cost is even lower as a percentage. So if it's a $300 shoe (no idea what they will cost guess) then it's more like less than $60. plus shipping and handling. PR value....priceless.

The alpha fly's they are getting is to meet new regulations, so it won't be much different from vaporfly fly. Anyways, speaking about Des linden with Brooks, they have their own carbon copy version of vaporfly as does hoka for Jim whamsley

I didn’t count all the male profiles but last I counted there were 500+ females alone.

Yeah - I guess I was considering 'market' cost, but obviously substantially less to manufacture. R&D costs factored in too.

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Blog: http://262toboylstonstreet.blogspot.com/
https://twitter.com/NateThomasTri
Coaching: https://bybtricoaching.com/ - accepting athletes for 2023

was talking to an Asics rep yesterday, he said this is probably from the requirements of the new ruling - a certain number/percentage of the shoes have to be available to the general public, for the shoe to be legal. This is just a way to push out a few more pairs to the public. They will be doing the same thing with the new Asics carbon-plate shoe over the next few months.

tough choice for shoe-sponsored athletes with a shot at the team..
further down the field, hell yeah I'm taking those shoes ;-)

Yeah, but given that these shoes typically sell out, you really need to consider Nike's margin on the shoes as well when calculating Nike's true cost. Really their cost to supply these shoes at trials is the # of shoes x wholesale price.

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

That’s not right from what I can tell.

https://www.worldathletics.org/...modified-rules-shoes

The shoe needs to be available to the public for 4 months prior to competition but that is after April 30th. But that is also for international competitions so I don’t think it would apply here anyways.

There are definitely a lot of Alphaflys around the race hotel but it might not be the best option for this course. Someone I work with, who is very well versed in running shoe technology, has been measuring stack heights of all the shoes for the past two days. He has mentioned the softness and shape of the heel could be a disadvantage on the downhills..."there will be a lot of foot slapping." You'll certainly see a lot of Alphaflys but I think a most runners will wear what got them there.

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Shawn
TORRE Consulting Services, LLC
http://www.TORREcs.com

Genuine noob question: Wouldn't the USATF automatically adopt all IAAF rules or does there need to be a formal adoption process?

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808 > NYC > PDX > YVR
2024 Races: Taupo

How much does a pro runner make?