recently i picked up a pair of lunaracer+ shoes at niketown, thinking that nike maybe finally is getting back into the business of producing running shoes. after years of designing non-functional rubber-pillar-infested fashion sneakers, the lunaracers look like real running shoes. more importantly, they are super-lightweight, 200g/7oz per shoe (and that's for my size 13!). so i hoped those would make good racing flats, with a less harsh ride than the usual racing flats which usually simply omit any cushioning to reduce weight.
finding lightweight racing shoes is not easy. lightweight trainers are usually not that light, and real racing shoes are usually too lightweight. for triathlons in particular, when you are not really starting all that fresh, and you are not one of those gifted individuals who can still run a sub-3h marathon, you need a bit of cushioning to get you across the distance. on the other hand, every gram/ounce counts, so you want lightweight shoes and not those bricks that are sold as cushioning shoes.
today i took them for my first run and they are absolutely amazing. they run a bit small, i think, but apart from that, the comfort and cushioning you get in a shoe of this weight is fantastic. the reebok shoes i have been racing in for the past couple of years (pretty light at 280g/9.8oz, but still much heavier than the lunaracers) feel very different; the lunaracer has a more sponge-like feeling. my guess is that this shoe is not very durable, the lunarlite
sole will probably loose a lot of that cushioning pretty fast. but as long as it lasts, the weight/cushioning ratio is far better than any other shoe i have tried. i would not take these shoes to a hilly course, though. on downhills, the heel feels like hitting the ground directly, there are limits to what such a lightweight sole can do, i guess. however, i am 84kg/185lb, so if you are lighter, you will probably not have that problem.
for the record: i paid full price for those shoes and i am not in any way affiliated with nike, but i do appreciate well-designed products. so if you are looking for a super-lightweight shoe for racing anything up to a marathon, in particular in a triathlon where your tired legs will need some cushioning, and you don't like the harsh ride of racing flats, you might want to check out the lunaracers.
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