Nike Summer of Innovation announced, release from Nike, note by Larry Eder

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Footwear technology comes from running and track & field. Pure & Simple, dear and gentle readers. Run, Jump, Throw. You can break down each and every sport to the world’s oldest, and in our opinion, greatest sport: athletics.

Running footwear is the litmus test for new footwear technology. That, dear readers, is a fact. That fact was driven home today as Mark Parker, President & CEO of Nike, Inc., introduced the Nike Summer of Innovation, to New York and International Media. Parker was very proud of some of the new tech, such as the Nike FlyKnit racing flat, and soon to be training flat as well. Lighter is better, in Nike parlance, and with racing shoes at 5.6 ounces and trainers at 7.7 ounces, the product should be well received. Also fascinating to us, is the touted new body suit Nike Pro Turbospeed, which will be equipment this summer for many of the top track & field federations at the 2012 London Summer Olympics.

Mark Parker, President & CEO, Nike, Inc. Innovation Summit Media Day, photos courtesy of Nike

Word on the street was that Mark Parker was so pleased with the new technology that he wanted to introduce it himself. And, as Prez & CEO, of Nike, what the heck? We understand that tweeked versions of the racing flat were on Abdi Abdirahman and Dathan Ritzenhein in
that little marathon in Houston held this past January. Innovate.

Carmelita Jeter, our top women sprinter (gold at 100m, silver at 200, meters, gold in 4 x 100m, all in Daegu), shows off the new TurboSpeed suit! Speedsuit technology came from bike racing (we did pieces on it in an old title, Cycling Science). The improvements here are the aerodynamics, and the actual use of recycled products in the actual garment. Innovate.

Carmelita Jeter in the NikePro Turbospeed, photo courtesy of Nike

The Nike FlyKnit racing flat has a pretty impressive pedigree: top three in men’s World Champs 2011 Marathon. The upper weight is the lightest Nike has made.

Nike FlyKnit, photo courtesy of Nike

Then, our friends at Nike took the FlyKnit from racing shoes to some very light training flats, to share the gospel of lightweight with the whole running community. (Training shoes shown below).

We have attached the release and info from Nike today on Day 1 of the Summer of Innovation summit. Watch for tomorrows’s second day of the summit.

Some great links on the release, explaining knit technology, and some other innovations from Nike. Check them out!

(Runblogrun will publish the reviews of this product by the Running Network footwear and apparel review editor Cregg Weinmann once the product has been reviewed).

New York (February 21, 2012) –
NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) announced today a series of cutting-edge,
lightweight performance innovations designed for the track, the
basketball court and beyond for this summer. Multiple products were
unveiled, ranging from Nike Flyknit footwear, to the Nike Hyper Elite
basketball uniform to the next evolution of NIKE Lunarlon footwear.

NIKE, Inc. President & CEO Mark Parker was joined by one of the
most iconic track and field athletes in history, Carl Lewis, and other
great athletes including Deron Williams (New Jersey Nets and 2008 USAB
team), Tamika Catchings (Indiana Fever and USAB team member in 2004 and
2008), Carmelita Jeter (current 100m World Champion and the fastest
woman on earth today), Walter Dix (World Championship silver medalist),
Anastasiya Kapachinskaya (Russian sprinter and 400m Bronze Medalist,
2011 World Championships), Sergey Shubenkov (Russian European U23
champion hurdler) and Abdi Abdirahman (US Men’s Marathoner and
seven-time US Champion) to unveil Nike’s newest innovations at a global
event in New York City.

“Today we’ve unveiled technology we believe has the potential to
change sports performance. Nike has always been committed to bringing
the best innovations to athletes at every level and we’ve done that
today in a powerful way,” said Parker. “The Nike Flyknit upper redefines
the idea of running footwear: Lightweight and virtually seamless, it
acts like a second skin for the foot and is precision engineered in one
piece and one layer to minimize waste, dramatically changing how
footwear is designed and manufactured.”

Nike’s products include:

	Nike Flyknit Nike Flyknit revolutionizes running by rethinking shoe construction from the ground up Informed by athlete insights and employing a new proprietary technology. Yarns and fabric variations are precisely engineered only where they are needed for a featherweight, formfitting and virtually seamless upper. With all the structure and support knitted in, the Nike Flyknit Racer’s upper and tongue weigh just 34 grams (1.2 ounces). The whole shoe weighs a mere 160g (5.6 ounces) for a size 9, 19% lighter than the Nike Zoom Streak 3, a shoe worn by first, second and third place athletes in the men’s marathon at the 2011 World Championships. Nike Flyknit upper is also engineered for precision fit, creating a feeling of a second skin. NIKE has created an everyday running shoe, the Nike Flyknit Trainer+, which at 220 grams or 7.7 ounces, will bring the weight and fit benefits of Nike Flyknit to runners of all levels.
	Nike Pro TurboSpeed The Nike Pro TurboSpeed suit is the lightest, fastest track uniform NIKE has ever built. Based on wind tunnel data, it is up to .023 seconds faster over 100m than our previous track uniform. For the past 12 years, incorporating more than 1,000 hours of wind tunnel testing, NIKE’s Project Swift has evolved and refined superior Nike AeroSwift technology, working towards maximum velocity for elite athletes. The technology will also be used by athletes from the USA, Russia, Germany, and China for international team competition and will be unveiled in a global color to be used by NIKE-sponsored athletes in individual competition from April onwards, and in the colors of the Russia Track & Field Federation. The striking uniform combines elements of national identity with scientific innovation. In a summer of competition with a focus on sustainability, Nike Pro TurboSpeed is made with approximately 82% recycled polyester fabric, using an average of 13 recycled plastic bottles.
	Nike Zoom Spikes NIKE debuted the ultra-light Nike Zoom Superfly R4 and Nike Zoom Victory Elite spikes. Uniting superior fit, protection and NIKE’s dynamic Flywire technology that loosens or tightens with the natural motion of the foot to help provide support and stability, these cutting-edge shoes help prepare athletes for their greatest performance ever with a focus on speed.
	Nike Hyper Elite Basketball Uniform Unveiled in USA Basketball colors, the Nike Hyper Elite shorts weigh five ounces while the NIKE authentic basketball jersey, NIKE’s lightest jersey ever, features a breathable and durable design with striking Nike Aerographics visual design. The men’s jersey is made of approximately 96% polyester fabric derived from recycled plastic bottles while the short is 100% recycled polyester fabric. Nike uses an average of 22 recycled plastic bottles per uniform reflective of NIKE’s commitment to environmentally-sustainable design. The uniform will be worn by national basketball teams including USA, China, and Brazil in addition to teams attempting to qualify.
	Nike Hyperdunk Part of a pack of four shoes (including running, men’s training and women’s training), this shoe is part of the Nike Lunarlon Collection. An innovative combination of advanced NIKE Flywire technology and a basketball-specific NIKE Lunarlon cushioning system, this lightweight, more supportive, durable and breathable shoe is expressly designed to meet the demands of elite basketball players worldwide. Re-engineered NIKE Lunarlon foam is 30% lighter than Phylon (the standard foam used in sports shoe midsoles), and is designed to vary in density, being thicker where required for stability, but softer for absorbing impact in key areas. The uppers of the Nike Hyperdunk feature the most advanced version of NIKE Flywire, which uses high-strength cables constructed from a thin core encased in a flexible woven sheath. These responsive cables are loose when at rest and dynamic in motion, tensing to help stabilize the foot as required. The Lunarlon Collection and Nike Basketball products will be available at retail beginning June 29th while Nike Flyknit footwear will be available from July 27th.

Learn more about Nike’s Summer of Innovation products and technologies.

About NIKE, Inc.
NIKE, Inc.,
based near Beaverton, Oregon, is the world’s leading designer, marketer
and distributor of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and
accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. Wholly
owned NIKE subsidiaries include Converse Inc., which designs, markets
and distributes athletic footwear, apparel and accessories; Cole Haan,
which designs, markets and distributes luxury shoes, handbags,
accessories and coats; Umbro Ltd., a leading United Kingdom-based global
football (soccer) brand; and Hurley International LLC, which designs,
markets and distributes action sports and youth lifestyle footwear,
apparel and accessories. For more information, visit www.nikeinc.com and follow @Nike.

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Larry Eder
Larry Eder has had a 52-year involvement in the sport of athletics. Larry has experienced the sport as an athlete, coach, magazine publisher, and now, journalist and blogger. His first article, on Don Bowden, America's first sub-4 minute miler, was published in RW in 1983. Larry has published several magazines on athletics, from American Athletics to the U.S. version of Spikes magazine. He currently manages the content and marketing development of the RunningNetwork, The Shoe Addicts, and RunBlogRun. Of RunBlogRun, his daily pilgrimage with the sport, Larry says: "I have to admit, I love traveling to far away meets, writing about the sport I love, and the athletes I respect, for my readers at runblogrun.com, the most of anything I have ever done, except, maybe running itself." Also does some updates for BBC Sports at key events, which he truly enjoys. Theme song: Greg Allman, " I'm no Angel."
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