Best 400 Spikes

My guys wear maxcats, powercats, and celars. Girls wear maxcats or celars. That's only using Nike as examples. Have others who wear different brands. I personally think the maxcats or celars would be better. Powercats seem more of a short sprint spike.

If you are sub 50, then definitely the powercats. They were even worn by Merritt when he won gold in the Beijing Olympics by the largest margin ever in the 400.

what about the superfly r3s?

what about the superfly r3s?

I'd wager that you could wear something like zoom rival d for any event and there would be no adverse effect on performance.

In all seriousness, I'd try to find a store that stocks the spikes you want and try them on. I once went to a store with a certain spike purchase in mind, but ended up buying a different model.

depends on your running style and racing style. you should also keep your other events in mind. as my name would suggest i am a mid d guy with an 800m preference. i tend to be a strength based 800m runner so my last 150 is my best part of the race, which means in a 400m race im usually really get going with 150-200m to go. with my mid d background i like to get a spike that feels like a mid d spike but has those sprinter qualities so that means i would probably get something like the maxcats or asics japan light-nings.

if your more of a 400/800m guy then that means youll probaly want something closer to a sprint spike but still with some mid d qualitites (i.e. more flex to it) so in that case probably the zoom ja (this is all assuming you only want to choose from these spikes). if youre more of a 200/400m guy then something that plays to your strengths as more of a power(ful) sprinter would be best (i.e. something stiffer) so superflys or the ja's could both factor in. if your a 100/200 guy who is running a 400m then you want to stick with those qualities of your event range (power) and go with a rigid and aggressive spike (superflys)

just think of what you like in a spike, how you run your race and what your race is (also keep in mind your mechanics because if you are a heel striker, and i dont know why you would be heel striking at those speeds but its been done, then your probably going to want a spike with something to protect your heel and not have plastic over the heel as that will hurt).

I also run the 800/1600, but I will be using the victory for both of those events. My best 2 events are the 400 and 800 (with the 800 being myaomfocus) but i want to get a spoke only for the 400 and nothing else. Which type would I fall under? Thanks!

I coach mid d and compete in sprints, and generally agree with JB800/1500. The best overall sprint spikes for someone emphasizing 400 are the Asics Japan Lite-ning and the Nike Maxcat.

The Nike spikes are actually quite heavy now (consider that the Maxcat is 6 ounces, and its predecessor, the JSC, was about 4.5). The Powercat, Superfly and such are actually very heavy at > 7 ounces, and while some of that weight might help clear blocks for the 100, it is basically just dead weight for a 400 runner.

If you can stay on the forefoot like a sprinter, you can even race the 800 in the Maxcats or Japan Lite-ning.

Adidas has a fairly new spike out called the Adizero Prime Finesse, which is the lightest sprint spike at 4.6 ounces, MUCH lighter than the Nike spikes. It's relatively expensive at over $100 and not available everywhere I don't think, but if you can afford it, it might be worth a look.

For non-nike check out the demolishers:

http://amzn.to/wVXPdu

I like them quite a bit