Nike Waffle

Once upon a time, in the 1960s to be precise, running was not considered a sport or a hobby. People didn't run. There were enough running sneakers on the market to count on one hand, and anyone who ran at all was considered crazy or a college student. And this is exactly where the story of the Nike Wafflesneaker begins. Nike was in its infancy at the time and only distributed running sneakers when its owners , Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight, ran the track team at the University of Oregon. In the early 1970s, the Hayward Field running team was transitioning from a cinder track to an artificial surface, and Bowerman was looking for a running shoe that would be suitable for multiple surfaces. One day, Bowerman was having waffles for breakfast with his wife, and there it was. He saw the waffle and thought: "If I flip the sides of the waffle so that the waffle part comes in contact with the track, this could work." He got right up from the table, went to his lab and started making.

Sneakers with specially modified soles first came out in 1973, were suitable for both flat and uneven running surfaces, and helped push the idea that the sole could also absorb shock to the joints. Prior to that, all athletic soles were flat, so the waffle-inspired outsole was the first major innovation in the industry. The first model was made in Japan, had a nylon upper and gained popularity at a cosmic speed. Later came a canvas, slightly redesigned version called the Waffle Racer. Over time, the sneaker was improved upon and the original waffle sole became used on other Nike products such as the Astro Grabber, Nike Elite to the Tailwinds, which even became the outerwear sneakers of American football players.