Is Mizuno the new Nike?

Back in the early '80s in my first life as a runner, Nike was by far my favorite shoe. They were a newish rebel company and I dug their stuff way more than their rivals. I loved some of their classic racing flats like the Oregon Waffle (later Waffle Racer) for cross country as well as road flats like the American Eagle and the Mariah. Not to mention the Internationalist training flat -- I went through numerous pairs of those. When I started up again in the second half of 2004 after my lengthy hiatus, naturally I went with Nike first. Didn't quite gel with the Pegasus or Air Max Moto, but I did enjoy two pairs of the Zoom Elite, until one of the friendly employees of Second Sole in Rocky River suggested I try the Mizuno Elixir. I like lightweight trainers and the Elixir is unbelievable. Almost like a racing flat but with enough cushion to use as an everyday shoe. The other week I decided to get a new pair of racing flats and I tried on the Mizuno Idaten (photo on the left) and was blown away. I bought them and I wore them in my most recent race. They're lighter and more flexible than the Nike racing flats I had been using and they also have more cushion, which is important to us old guys. Check out their website at:

http://www.mizunousa.com