About ten years ago celebrated with the Nike Air Streak a premiere running shoe, which was involved in the following decade, in its various models at so many sporting success on the running tracks around the globe, more than any other shoe.
The first Air Streak came in spring 1995 on the market. In contrast to the then typical race shoes from Nike, such as the Air Mariah or the Niobe, which were built on an extremely curved spike strips, the Air Streak remembered by the fit more like a normal training shoe and was air-cushioning and Duralon outsole very comfortable .
In the U.S., he immediately became a hit in the front rows of the starting fields his intense green was the predominant color quickly. At the same time appeared the Air Streak Light, a minimalist version of the Streak, which was intended mainly for the Japanese market. In Germany were the first models of the Air Streak found only rarely, most of the shoes were on display in this country were either worn by runners who were sponsored by Nike or were direct imports from the United States.
However, just a German runner took care of the first great success with this shoe. With a prototype, which corresponded with a few modifications to the standard model of the Air Streak Light, from Berlin Uta Pippig won in 1995 for the second year running the Boston Marathon. Her then winning shoe is on show today at Niketown in Boston. At the Olympic Games in Atlanta, the South African Josiah Thugwane with the Air Streak Light marathon Olympic champion.
Although the first Air Streak end was taken in 1996 from the sale program to be very big moment came much later. In September 1998, ran the hitherto relatively unknown Brazilian Ronaldo da Costa in Berlin with 2:06:05 hours a new marathon world record. He was the first marathon runner, ran the distance of one km section of less than three minutes and to this historic achievement he made in an Air Streak
1997 came with the Air Streak 2 Streak the successor of the first on the market. Stability was the then trend following and the Streak 2 more stable than its predecessor, probably to make the shoe for a larger group of buyers available. However, this model was among the elite runners but little encouragement. The also-new Air Streak Light 2 was changed only slightly over its predecessor.
In the U.S., the streak was not offered 2, here instead of the Nike Zoom Streak brought to market. He was fit and rolling in the original much more similar than the two streak and tied seamlessly into the USA to its success. At the Boston Marathon in 1997 so that the Olympic champion Fatuma Roba was the first of their three wins in Boston.
In 1998, the Streak family received in the U.S. with the growth in Europe has not offered Streak Vengeance. His first major marathon victory was won this shoe had before it all available for the normal-runner was. With a sample pair of the marathon exhibition of Kenyans John Kagwe in New York City Marathon in 1997 in the pouring rain ran to victory, although he twice on the way the laces had risen. A year later, he repeated his success in the same place with the same shoe.
For several years until now remained the Kenyan Tegla Loroupe the 98'er Streak Vengeance faithful and carried him in their greatest successes. In 1998, she ran off with them in Rotterdam in 2:20:47 hours a new marathon world record, as well as in Berlin, where a year later, their own record once again improved by four seconds. Even with their world champion titles through the half marathon distance she was riding a neon yellow racer. Until today, the petite Kenya is thus seen in races.
It almost would have been in Europe in 1998 offered Streak 3 to the shoe world record, because the Spaniard Fabian Roncero went to the Rotterdam Marathon in world record time on a long course before it slowed cramps in the last kilometers. He won the race, but he missed the world record a few seconds. New to the range in 1998 came the Streak Ekiden, who because of its minimalist design has found its real audience in Japan. In Germany, emerged from this shoe a few copies. At a shoe at a major marathon winner he was, however, only when he had long since disappeared from the shelves. Three years after its debut in April 2001, the Moroccan Abdelkader El Mouazziz won the London Marathon so.
Also at that time was still in the range of the Air Streak Light 3
1999-2001 Continue in Part 2 tomorrow!
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