Tyson Gay

The highly anticipated U.S. Track & Field Trials will be headlined by adidas athletes Allyson Felix, Tyson Gay and Jeremy Wariner who are presenting their custom adidas track spikes – Felix’s “Shug,” Gay’s “Trinity” and Wariner’s “Lone Star.”

Each spike features specific performance innovations that cater to the athletes’ race specialty and running style and is a distinct representation of the athletes’ personality with colors, style and logos all being selected by the athletes. 

Felix, Gay and Wariner will wear the new spikes at the Track & Field Trials and in Beijing.  adiZero and Bounce versions of the athlete inspired custom spikes will be available in retail starting January 2009.

SHUG – Allyson Felix
Felix‘s custom Shug spikes, the nickname her mother gave her, feature a lightweight Thermoplastic Urethane (TPU) plate with a custom upper made from a mix of synthetic materials incorporating the adidas ClimaCool technology.  The upper color way mixes some of Felix’s favorite pastel shades of pink and green with white and silver base colors.

“I was involved in the design process with colors and I chose colors I really liked. I also really like that this shoe has the plate I like to run in.  It’s great for 200m and 400m,” Felix said.  “The right shoe for me is essential.  When you’re in a sprint race you have to have the perfect shoe and I feel that’s what adidas has provided me.”

TRINITY - Tyson Gay
The Trinity spike uses a lightweight TPU plate with a custom upper made from K leather.  The upper was inspired by the spikes made by Adi Dassler in 1936 for Jesse Owens.  It includes an X on the heel, reflecting the adidas Olympic heritage and the name Trinity embossed in gold on the side of the shoe.

“Winning is a great feeling.  When you do win you can sit back and look at hard practices you went through and really appreciate the victory,” Gay said.  “I wear the Trinity shoe out of respect for Jesse Owens.  It’s like a new school and an old school put together.  It’s my way of showing respect back to him.”

LONE STAR - Jeremy Wariner
More than two years in development, Wariner’s Lone Star spike is the most revolutionary and technologically advanced track spike ever created.  Named after Wariner’s home state of Texas, the Lone Star features multiple industry firsts including an asymmetrical spike design, the first ever full-length NANOPLATE and the exclusive adidas progressive-compression spike.

“The benefits from the Lone Star are going to help me.  I will be closer to the ground with the thinner plate and the spike is lighter, so it’ll help me go around the turn a little faster,” Wariner said. “The way it’s designed to my foot will benefit me while I’m running on the straightaway and on the turn.  It’s just been a good experience and I’m thrilled with the final product.”

“adidas has been looking forward to seeing our best American athletes race in their custom footwear and apparel at the trials.  It’s a culmination of a lot of hard work and effort,” said Adrian Leek, adidas Global Vice President of Running.  “The athletes have been training hard for this Olympic qualifying event and the adidas designers have been working side-by-side with them to create the best footwear and apparel possible to enable them to achieve their Impossible.  We feel we have accomplished that task and we are excited to see the athletes in competition.”

adidas Olympic Heritage
adidas’ Olympic tradition dates back to 1928, when adidas founder Adi Dassler created his first track spike for athletes in the Amsterdam games and since then athletes such as Jesse Owens who won four gold medals in Berlin to Emil Zatopek, Wilma Rudolph, Bob Beamon, Dick Fosbury and Haile Gebrselassie have all marked milestones in Olympic history in adidas products.  adidas is the official sportswear partner of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.  Along with the official sponsorship of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, adidas sponsors 16 NOCs, including China, 214 Olympic Federations and over 3,000 individual athletes, which is more than any other brand.  In total adidas will be supplying more than 2.5 million pieces of apparel and footwear for the games.