Throughout the years, there have been thousands and thousands of different styles and models of track spikes. Some have lasted for years and become famous in running circles, while others have been released and faded into history without ever making a ripple.
So, of all the track spikes that were created since they were invented in the 1850s, what are the most well-known pairs? Have there been any that have gone beyond the track and become known in our pop culture-obsessed society? Let’s look at the most iconic track spikes of all time.
The OG Spikes
No list of track spikes would be complete without the shoes that changed running forever: the very first spikes. Even though they look very little like the track spikes we wear today, they set the stage for future innovators to continuously push the envelope of track spike technology.
The first spikes were simply men’s dress shoes with metal spikes in the bottom. They were heavy, clunky, didn’t breathe well, and looked very plain, but they introduced an entirely new line of shoes to the world, and the world of track running has been evolving from that point ever since.
What used to be made from cowhide and metal are now made from futuristic materials such as carbon fiber, nylon, and laboratory-designed foams, which aim to extract every last bit of speed from runners.
Michael Johnson’s Gold Track Spikes
Shortly before the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia, Nike approached Michael Johnson and offered to create a shoe for him to wear at the Games. After a few months of working on the project, they presented the shoes to Michael, who didn’t like them! He insisted that if he was going to wear the custom Nike spikes, they had to be gold. (They were initially an opaque silver color due to using Zytel, a new, groundbreaking thermoplastic.)
Nike returned to the lab, and what they came up with is still one of the most iconic track shoes ever created. The images of Michael winning the 200-meter event and standing on the podium in his gold Nike spikes will forever be some of the most iconic running photos ever.
After the Olympics were over, the shoes even appeared on the cover of Time magazine and inspired other athletes to paint their track shoes gold.
Usain Bolt’s Puma Spikes
This list wouldn’t be complete without the shoes worn by the fastest man ever to compete on a track, Usain Bolt. Usain has run in Puma spikes since he was a teenager, signing his first shoe deal ever with the company at 16 years old, years before he started to dominate the track. Puma stuck with Usain even after he retired from professional racing.
For the most part, Usain wore Theseus spikes (although he used different models over the years), which are sometimes referred to as Puma Yaams (named after Bolt’s favorite vegetable). Although he wore the standard color model during most events, he also had a pair made for him in gold, which he wore during the 100-meter final in the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
Even after retirement, Bolt still maintains a relationship with Puma, helping them with future innovations and concepts, as well as their “Only See Great” campaign.
Allyson Felix and Saysh
In 2019, the most decorated track & field athlete of all time, Allyson Felix, left her long-time sponsor, Nike, to create her own brand, Saysh. Allyson made the brand to address the lack of consideration for the unique needs of female athletes, especially with their footwear.
What she ended up creating, along with her brother and business partner Wes, is a brand that designs performance sneakers (and other running apparel) for women, by women.
In 2021, Allyson once again represented the United States at the Tokyo Olympics, but this time wearing her own shoes, the Saysh Spike One. Those shoes took her to a gold medal in the 4x400-meter relay and a bronze in the individual 400-meter event.
ASICS Metasprint - The Spikeless Spikes
Innovations in shoe technology occur constantly, sometimes leading to true game-changers. One such example is the spikeless track spike, the ASICS Metasprint. Although designed as track spikes, these shoes do not feature spikes.
Instead, they feature a unique honeycomb-style pattern unlike anything seen in track spikes. The Metasprint was designed on the principle that we roll through the foot and then push off rather than using a simple forward-to-backward sweeping motion. The shoes also feature carbon-plate technology, making them lightweight, responsive, and fast.
What is the next pair of iconic track spikes that will be added to this list? It’s hard to say, but with the number of shoe innovations happening today, there is a pretty good chance that they are quite different from the spikes of the past, just as the spikes listed above look (and perform) almost nothing like the OG spikes they are designed after. One thing we know for certain is that they’ll be lightweight and fast!
