Can anyone who ownes a pair of race flats give me some suggestions or thoughts on running flats? maybe tell me if you like the ones you have. thanks to everyone.
I use the asics piranha sp3. I love them. They are very flat. 14mm heel and a 10mm forefoot. I run in a minimalist shoe all the time. They have just enough cushion for trails too. They are 4-5 ounces.
My brother runs in the mizuno wave universe 3’s. They are even lighter and have a very very minimal sole. Almost like a water shoe. I find them a little too thin for trail running but my brother run trails with them all the time with no complaints. I like these shoes too.
I chose the asics because of the flats sole and lack of support/rigidity. Most racing flats have a lot more heel than forefoot. I wanted something that was close to barefoot. Also there is no support, torsion control etc. Just flexible sole.
I came from a stability shoe with orthotics and can’t see why I’d ever go back.
Hope that helps.
Every company makes 2-3 flats that are all good depending what you need.
They for sprints, Olympics, Ironmans? What road shoes do you normally use?
There is a lot of personal info that goes into the correct racing shoe for you, but I have had really good experience with the K-Swiss K-Ruuz this year. I am racing Olympics or shorter.
Personally, I like that K-Swiss is making shoes for triathletes. What I mean by that is that the technology in their shoe is geared towards triathletes and not just runners (drainage holes, etc.). That being said, a lot of companies make great racing shoes that are geared towards runners but can be used by triathletes.
Drew
Loving asics gel hyper speed 3…not sure if it qualifies as a true flat but certainly pretty minimalist and a great shoe for me
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Every company makes 2-3 flats that are all good depending what you need.
They for sprints, Olympics, Ironmans? What road shoes do you normally use?
olympic for now and then half, right now i run in nike frees and race in a pair or brookes. but i forefoot strick instead of heal strick so i need a flatter minimal shoe
Racing flats are probably worth about 5sec./mile vs. trainers, so totally worth getting.
I have the Nike LunarRacers and they are a great flat as long as you don’t need stability features. They are almost as cushioned as a trainer (I’ve actually done 10mi. training runs in them…no problem).
I rarely buy the same shoe twice (either it is out of production or there is something else that catches my eye)
but I am on my 3rd pair of Saucony Fastwitch . They are light, but still put together normally and I don’t feel like
I am in my wife’s ballet shoes. I think they are aimed at the 5-10K crowd, not a true flat for a miler …but I’ve run
marathons in them and they held up with 170lbs in them.
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I’ve owned tons of pairs of flats since I was in high school, and through running on college. One things I would ask, what are your goals? If you plan on running 10k+ in flats, I would really reconsider unless you have great mechanics, are fairly light, and maintain the same form through-out your race. If you are running less than 10K some of the suggestions above are great.
If, however, you are running longer races or workout, I would consider getting a “heavy” flat, or a light trainer. I was a track guy, but honestly I wish I had a pair of Zoot Ultra TT 3.0 shoes in college, it would’ve saved me from wearing 6oz flats or spikes and totally destroying my arches and shins. Another example would be something like the Asics hyperspeed.
Even elite marathoners have built in arch supports for their flats, so it is all dependent on what you need. But, I am pretty in tune with what my feet and legs below my knees require: I can pretty much walk in a store and look at the sole and instep of a shoe and tell you if it will work for me.
I am an overpronator and currently train in Brooks Adrenaline 10’s so what would you recommend for a stability race shoe? I think my Adrenalines are 11.1 oz.
I like the fastwitch as well…I have used them for up to 25k races
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If you overpronate, but run without orthotics, I would go to a good running store and look at race flats or light trainers with a medial post. I am a big fan of the Asics DS trainer ad DS trainer racer for my fast stuff, the shoe is light enough that you dont feel weighed down, but still has some support. Whatever shoe you choose, start wearing it slowly. For instance I do striders a few days a week in my Zoot shoe, and recently I started doing the last 1/3 of intervals on the track in the shoe. Helps prepare the calves and strengthens the feet, so when you race in the new shoes it wont be such a big jolt.
I picked up the new Saucony Kinvara, it is a pretty sweet shoe and has more cushion than a “pure” racing flat, and is quite comfortable sockless. I would certainly check it out.