Found on Ebay by my mother.  Nike Waffle Trainers from 1978, just like my mom’s very first pair of running shoes.  Of course, when she found the photo, she sent me an email with the following story that inspired one of my paintings this week.  Here is her account of her first running shoe purchase.

This is a picture of my very first running shoes in 1978, the Nike Waffle Trainer.  You may remember the story.  I visited an athletic shoe store in Chapel Hill’s University Square, the first store like that I’d ever seen.  Before the visit, I wore white Keds.  I didn’t even know there was such a thing as running shoes or an athletic store until Daddy sent me up there. (We lived on Michaux Rd at the bottom of Franklin Blvd.)

On the shelf was the very first bright color shoe I had ever seen. Up ’til then, shoes were white or off white.  When I tried on the shoes, they felt pretty good, but I couldn’t imagine spending money on such a luxury.  I sure couldn’t imagine wearing a bright yellow shoe.  (We both lived on my annual salary:  $8,030).  The clerk told me to take them out for a spin.  I asked him if he really intended for me to  leave the store in his shoes for a trial run.  When he affirmed that, I did, and I bought them and I ran in them with a great big ole smile on my face.  At the time I was running 1/2 mile.  These shoes got me to  6.2 miles in no time, and then I ran my first road race.  Community road races were also in their infancy.  The rest is history.

 

After I wore them out, I kept them in my closet for good luck for about 15 years.  I planned to shadow box them, but then decided that was just too goofy.

For some reason, I googled them this morning, and there they were.  Same color, same fabric.

 

And that’s my story.

 
Stay tuned next week to see the painting.