The Jordan Trunner was one of the flagship shoes from Nike’s Michael Jordan-directed Jordan Brand in 1998. Originally endorsed by NFL star Randy Moss and champion boxer Roy Jones Jr., the Trunner is a hybrid shoe that sought to be suitable as a “trainer” and as a “runner” in the same package, hence the name.
The Trunner is unique for a variety of reasons, one being that as a low-cut shoe, it possesses a V-cut, which allows the wearer to have total ankle freedom and flexibility while the thin metal strip on the Achilles of the shoe allows custom heel fit, so that inversion, or turning of the ankle is a non-issue. The Trunner also makes use of multiple materials on the upper part of the shoe, ranging from actual leather to mesh to Lycra Spandex for secure fit that also allowed the wearer to less restriction. The mid-foot area of the Trunner has two independent straps that are brought together securely when the shoe is laced, as they are connected to the lace locks.
The midsole is a necessarily thick Phylon midsole with a cupped heel for even more security and comfort, housing a full-length Air sole. The outsole itself is pure rubber that was rendered in the waffle pattern (good for running); a perk to the bottom of the shoe is that there are two small Phylon pods protruding in the arch of the shoe for impact protection and for additional arch support, and surrounding those pods is a carbon fiber shank plate for even more lightweight support.
Because of the Trunner’s multiple features and versatility, just about any person can wear the Trunner, though because it is based loosely off of Jordan’s own foot, which has low arch, those with normal or higher arches would have to insert an arch pad or low-tech orthotics.
The positives of the shoe are numerous; all of the technological features of the Trunner enhance the experience of working out, and they are best used as a legitimate gym shoe. They have enough stability to do moderate weight training, and they have more than enough support and flexibility to be a very good running shoe. The features of the Trunner that continually allow for customizing the fit make the shoe a joy to wear, while simultaneously allowing for a broken-in fit.
The main negatives of the Trunner revolve around the fact that with the Trunner being primarily released in its low-cut form and it having less-supportive materials on the upper in certain areas, serious weight training could really cut away the life of the shoe and/or make prolonged weight conditioning uncomfortable in long sessions; also prolonged running sessions could make the shoe’s life run shorter. The best way to sum up the Trunner is “moderation”, in all activities. The only other downer of the shoe is that as a discontinued model, it is now largely unavailable for purchase.
Maybe the Jordan Brand will re-release this jewel in the near future.
Sources: Jumpman23.com/Nike/Eastbay.com
