Very interesting, thanks!

Since there did not seem to be an offcial Shoe Count in Kona this year, I concur with your general thoughts that the Nike Vaporfly 4% and Next% dominated! You are right - if you were looking at 3 - 4 athletes running along together, at least one of them was wearing either the 4% or Next%.

I agree with you about how for the most part triathletes do tend to be loyal to brands that "support the sport". But I've also said this over the years as well about triathletes. Tell them something will make them X% faster and you have their undivided attention and you are close to a sale right on the spot. That's what Nike did with the 4% - they said these shoes will make you 4% more efficient ("faster") and that has been backed up by outside research as well, so it was not just Nike marketing hype . . it was real!

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

Hey Dave, were you the one doing the shoe counts the past years? I know with the bikes, since Dan punted, the bike companies kind of took over and they did a blend of the count. Was just wondering who has been doing it, and why it was not done this year??

I think you made a fair extrapolation of what the numbers would be if counted, I would be interested to see how many of the new Hoka carbon plate shoes were there...

Thanks,

On the shoe count. Anything posted officially over the last 10 years has been from work I do in Kona. I had work to do at the Chicago Marathon. I attempted to have someone collect the data for me but I failed.

I agree that triathletes have always and continue to chase speed or efficiency. Super Bikes, Aero Helmets, aero pedals, you name it. Running shoes were always left alone. Lightweight was always a factor in Kona. Gel Noosa/DS Trainer ruled for years then the Kinvara came along and took over. Once the Clifton came along the Kinvara took a back seat but athletes wearing a racing shoe were few.

It will be really interesting to see what happens in 2020 when all the brands release their answer to the Vapor Fly.

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Dave Jewell
Free Run Speed

Monty, Yes I’m the one who has done it for the last 9 years. For awhile it was in collaboration with others from Newton or Kswiss but since 2012 or so it’s been just me. Again, I’m being very conservative in my projection. It would not surprise me at all to see the Nike # higher.

I’m headed to Arizona tomorrow to capture data and compare.

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Dave Jewell
Free Run Speed

Having watched you in action during your shoe count heroism, I don't think there's anyone else that could do it.
It would take a good sized team of well-coordinated people to do it live as you did, or a massive amount of after the fact toil working from video.

For those who haven't witnessed it, Dave's shoe count infrastructure at Kona was Dave and... a voice recorder. That and the ability to recognize every darn running shoe on the market from about a block away.

Pretty amazing stuff.

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Tech writer/support on this here site. FIST school instructor and certified bike fitter. Formerly at Diamondback Bikes, LeMond Fitness, FSA, TiCycles, etc.
Coaching and bike fit - http://source-e.net/ Cyclocross blog - https://crosssports.net/ BJJ instruction - https://ballardbjj.com/

I look forward to what Adidas brings

Wow!! Well done, Dave!

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

Dave...thanks for all you do - you are an awesome resource and interpreter of shoe trends. So, a Q...why has Zoot fallen off the radar? They were innovators at one point - heck, they has a carbon plates before carbon plates were cool. Lack of research/development resources? Lack of promotional/advertising/sponsorship resources? Just not as good/fast as others?

Thanks for the kind words.

Zoot - It would be a good story for business school.

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Dave Jewell
Free Run Speed

You said Hoka has a new Carbon Plated shoe coming, when you put it up against the Carbon Rocket+ or Carbon X where does it stack up and which is it more similar to?

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Washed up footy player turned Triathlete.

I have not seen the shoe. They have a clear chance of having at least one athlete make the Olympic Marathon team. The Carbon X and Carbon Rocket are good shoes but neither feel as fast as the Vapor Fly Next %. I’m guessing their story boards on the brief have the Vapor Fly Next %, a Tesla maybe and a predator animal of some sort. I think if they improve the fit with an even better upper and trim the “fat” off the Carbon X they are almost there.

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Dave Jewell
Free Run Speed

Fantastic write up and greatly appreciated.

The one question I have is what's the deal with Asics? They are number 3 on the count for projected shoe brand but do not show up on the top shoes 2018 rank. Is this because they all look the same and it's hard to differentiate when calling out thousands of shoe into a recorder? (Nimbus, Kayno, GT.. Etc...?)

Also, where do you see the brand going within the tri space? The tri noosa is gone within the USA market but their athletes still seem stable. (Jan, Ryf, Currie, Pots(?))

Asics - I think I’ve stated this on the forum in the past. Nobody on the forum talks about the Kayano they run in. There is not point to talk about shoe that you’ve been running in for so long. On that same note you could add the Brooks Adrenaline and Brooks Ghost to that as well. So to answer your question yes most of Asics is the Kayano and Nimbus. The latest DS Trainer is doing really well in the market especially in international events I cover. It was interesting to see only Jan was in the Meta Racer. Daniella and the other Asics pros wore the shoes they normally race in. Sara Hall ran a personal best and astonishing (or maybe not since she is not coached by her husband) 2:22 in Berlin wearing the Meta Racer.

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Dave Jewell
Free Run Speed

Me too. A "magic" Boost Adios. I couldn't even find my T2 bag what with all the clear bags with green shoes in them....

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Eric Reid AeroFit | Instagram Portfolio
Aerodynamic Retul Bike Fitting

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