Nike Lunaracer Outsole Durability vs. Marathoner

I've been running in the Luna Trainers and the outsole has held up really well. In fact the entire shoe has held up very well, probably have run 500 miles or so in them.

Buy some Shoe Goo and put it on the outsole of any shoe for which you are concerned about outsole wear. Re-apply every week or three. You can reduce outsole wear down to nearly nothing.

That's what I do to my Lunaracers (and most other shoes). It's how I managed to get 1500 miles out of a pair of lightweight trainers that used to last me only 400 - 450 miles tops.

I have both shoes and started both at the same time. I expect that they will wear the same if the marathoner wears more. I do not usually put more than 750 miles on a pair of shoes anyways. The marathoners and my jasari trainers wore almost exactly the same. If you tend to get banged up at all you should by at least six pairs of shoes a year if you average over 70 miles per week.

Thank you for the replies! I find the Marathoner outsole to wear exceptionally well for a "racing flat." I think it helps that my stride feels much smoother than in bulky training shoes. Do the Lunaracers contribute to the same "smooth" feel?

I've never worn the marathoner so I can't compare it for you. But the Lunaracers feel smooth in that they cradle you but don't try to control your stride. I've at least seen and held the Marathoners and I can tell you they clearly don't have the stiff sole that the Marathoners have.

I got them just because I could not believe that so much cushioning came with so little weight.

Yep , that foam is exceptional .

Once Nike send me them back in June my first impression was "oh , no !" , since I had a really bad experience with really soft Adidas flats .

Once I went for a run , my frustration changed immediately into enthusiasm . This is a real milestone with Nike production .

I believe the "bouncy" Lunarlite foam decomposes while exposed to sun lite .Nike encapsulated Lunarlite with another material ,to protect from sun light .

I am really surprised to see how many miles everybody logs in this shoe . Since this is classical racing flat , mileage should be around 100 .

The rubber on the outsole is something 1000 ? ( forgot the name ) . I saw many bad reviews for this rubber and this is a reason why I use them only once a while . Perhaps using Vibram outsole ( like Saucony did ) would be better ?

The tops are suppose to be stronger than any shoe in history ( stronger than kevlar ) . If this is the case ,maybe Nike would offer replacing used outsoles at major races ?

gear junkie wrote:

The tops are suppose to be stronger than any shoe in history ( stronger than kevlar ) . If this is the case ,maybe Nike would offer replacing used outsoles at major races ?

I found the opposite. The uppers, specifically the unreinforced mesh-like part on both medial and lateral sides of the ball of the foot broke down and tore through after 400 miles on my pair. I first noticed a little weaknesses in the "mesh" after about 100 miles, and I continued running in them through about 700-800 miles, using cut-to-shape stick on nylon repair tape. The flywire part of the upper is in excellent shape, but in terms of durability, that isn't where people wear out uppers anyway. At this point, the outsoles still looked almost brand-spanking new. There isn't much if any braking action(scrubbing)in my stride, compared to most people though.

I just got a new pair (haven't used it yet), and it's interesting to see how much thicker the midsole on the new pair is. The difference must be midsole compression, though they have different made on dates, so maybe there is production variation. I took sole thickness measurements when I got my first pair, so when I get around to it, I can see where the difference is. I think I like the flattened, less bouncy feel anyway... it's just that the upper doesn't hold me feet in anymore.

I wonder if there are Lunaracer users that also have Zoom Victory ?

Supposedly these two are not that much different , except Zoom Victory has more solid construction .Its weight would still qualify the shoe as "racing flats " .

Local runner's store decided to carry Zoom Victory ,instead of Lunaracer just because these two are similar but Zoom Victory is stronger .

The Zoom Victory is much heavier, closer to the Skylon or the Hayward. All three are basically the same shoe. For this weight range, I'd go with the Free Everyday over any of these.

Thanks, all. I decided to order a pair. We'll see how they are compared to the Marathoner.

Hope they will serve you well , good luck to you .