The next evolution in running shoes is here. The Nike Free RN Distance is the first shoe to combine Lunarlon foam with Free technology.
Supportive cushioning. Lightweight mobility. Sounds like the perfect match.
Lunarlon Foam Comfort
If you’ve laced up any Nike athletic shoes over the past few years, there’s a good chance you’ve stepped in Lunarlon. Since 2008, this foam cushioning has been popular in everything from basketball to tennis to training. But it is especially beloved among runners, who rely on its soft, resilient support to carry them through the miles. Invented by Nike after studying how astronauts move on the moon, Lunarlon is 30% lighter than Phylon foam and is built to evenly distribute the impact of every stride.
Nike Free Flexibility
The Free’s history dates back even further. In 2002, the Nike design team was inspired by a group of Stanford athletes training barefoot across the university’s golf course. An avid barefoot runner himself, Tobie Hatfield was determined to create a running shoe that complemented the foot’s natural barefoot movement while providing protection against debris and injury. The result: the 2004 Nike Free 5.0 V1. Runners who wanted more natural motion and a lighter weight finally had their go-to.
Over time, Nike added new shoes to the Free line, positioning them along a 0-10 scale. Zero was the equivalent of running barefoot, while 10 represented running in a traditional trainer. The Nike Free family of shoes grew in popularity, and the flexible technology spread into other sports and everyday wear, quickly becoming a staple for the Swoosh. But there was one problem. While athletes enjoyed the natural motion and flexibility that Nike Frees provided, some experienced discomfort when they ran longer distances.
The Perfect Pairing
Nike believed athletes deserved both flexibility and comfort — at any distance. Refusing to compromise on that belief, the Nike team went back to the drawing board. The Nike Free RN Distance running shoe is the result.
The Free RN Distance is built on a familiar Nike Free outsole, with deep hexagonal flex grooves cut into the bottom. These grooves allow the outsole material to expand with your foot as it hits the ground and contract at toe-off, mimicking the way feet move and behave when barefoot. The result is an incredibly flexible bottom that smoothly transitions through your stride.
Next, Lunarlon foam is placed over the outsole. The soft, plush cushioning sits within a slightly firmer Phylon foam carrier, creating responsive underfoot cushioning that bounces back with every step and is durable enough to withstand the repeated impact of high-mileage runs.
Completing the Nike Free RN Distance is a breathable, single-layer knit upper that uses Flywire cables through the laces to provide customizable lockdown and support through the midfoot. These cables place the fit firmly in your control, letting you adapt the shoe’s tightness to meet your needs.
Innovation at its finest, the Nike Free RN Distance combines two of Nike’s best shoe lines to create the perfect pairing of cushioning and flex. It’s time for you to experience the next evolution of Nike Free. With an array of Free RN Distance colors in both men’s and women’s sizes, Eastbay has everything you need to go the distance in comfort and style.
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