Nike Debuts the Nike Trainer 1

Nike knows…that champions are made in the off-season. On Thursday May 14, the Nike Training Summit was held at the UC Irvine Crawford Hall Athletic Complex with Olympic gold medal decathlete Bryan Clay, All-Pro football players Adrian Peterson, Larry Fitzgerald and Troy Polamalu, and NBA All-Stars Brandon Roy and Amar’e Stoudemire to introduce the Nike Trainer 1. The summit was led by led by sportscaster Jim Gray, Nike Vice President and General Manager of Nike Athletic Training Kris Aman, and designer Aaron Cooper.

The Nike Trainer 1 was inspired by the original Nike Air Trainer, which was used by legendary athletes Bo Jackson and John McEnroe more 20 years ago. Both Jackson and McEnroe made the original Nike Air Trainer famous in the late ’80s – Jackson through the cross-training preparation that helped him excel in both professional baseball and football and his famous “Bo Knows” media campaigns, and McEnroe by donning the Nike Air Trainer on-court during his heyday.

The new Nike Trainer 1 is versatility defined – extremely lightweight, excellent fit and comfort, superior cushioning and flexibility all in a secure, supportive and durable package. It was designed to provide today’s athletes with the most versatile and innovative lightweight training shoe by fusing Nike’s rich training heritage with the latest innovation and design technology.

“The Nike Trainer 1 will help athletes prepare and perform better in their sport,” said Kris Aman. “To create this shoe, we’ve taken the very best from our rich training heritage and combined it with new innovations and insights from today’s best athletes.”

To address the needs of athletes and the demands of today’s dynamic training, the Nike Trainer 1 features Nike DiamondFLX, a patent-pending outsole system that provides flexibility and support through multi-directional movement – ideal for any training regimen. A lightweight upper, with midfoot and forefoot overlays connected to the lacing system, works with an inner Dynamic Fit sleeve to provide a secure, glove-like fit and the lock-down support a foot needs. The mid-sole also features a Nike Max Air unit in the heel to provide impact protection and comfort.

“The Nike Trainer 1's are extremely comfortable and the flexibility is awesome,” said NFL All-Pro player Adrian Peterson. “I have already started wearing them for my training drills and for weight room workouts. It’s an amazing performance shoe that will give me an edge on the playing field.”

As part of the Nike Training Summit, 50 young Southern California athletes were given the opportunity to work with the Nike athletes and top pro trainers in a comprehensive training workout.

The Nike Trainer 1 will be available in the U.S. beginning July 1, 2009 for $90.00. For more info, check out www.nike.com or www.nikeid.com.

Photos: Nike | Rich Calbay