I agree. The Air Max 1 is a fashion shoe. At the time it seems that Nike was taking the, “more is better” approach to thinking about cushioning…wait…I feel like I’ve heard something about a trend toward maximum cushioning in the running shoe world lately… :-)

It’d be interesting to know what the heel-toe drop is in the AM1.

Tinker also designed the Nike Air Sock which came out around the same time as the AM1 and looks very similar to the more recently produced Nike shoes you mentioned were more “runnable” (I like that term). He was apparently about 20 years ahead of his time with that design.

Tinker, if I recall correctly, was mentored by Bill Bowerman who I believe designed Nike’s earlier shoes…in his garage…with his waffle iron.

I would definitely not dispute your assertion that Tinker Hatfield and the Air Max (27th Anniversary today, not 30th…) were influential in the history of running and fashion. I think, however, that it is telling that the Air Max is now a fashion icon and it’s contributions to running shoe design — ridiculous stack heights, too many overlays, heavy (despite the “air” marketing) — have been swept aside. I do think that Hatfield’s designs continue to influence in that designers are reacting to the problems that have arisen from his designs. I’m actually a fan of Nike running shoes, but I would argue that there most “runnable” shoes — the Lunar Racer, the Lunarspider R4, the Zoom Streak, even the Free 3.0 — all owe a lot more to early shoes such as the Waffle Racer, the Elite, and the Eagle — light, minimally cushioned, and flexible. After having gone on about this, I have to admit that I don’t know who designed these late-1970s and early-1980s running shoes at Nike? Was it Hatfield?

These commercials were originally aired during the 1982 NYC marathon so it makes sense that they incorporated footage from the 1981 NYC marathon.

Totally (respectfully :-)) disagree with your comment about the impact (pun intended) of the Air Max 1. Although Karhu was the first company to advertise “air cushion” in their shoes back in the mid 70’s, Tinker Hatfield’s designs from the late 80’s (e.g., Air Max 1, Air Tech Challenge II, Air Jordan III, Air Trainer III)that showcased the airbag and utilized new upper materials were revolutionary. His designs forced every manufacturer to research and develop new materials to improve performance(for better or worse). It’s probably an understatement to say that Tinker’s designs continue to influence the work of most current shoe designers both in the fashion shoe and athletic shoe industries.

That’s the reason for all of the fanfare surrounding the Air Max 1. They were the start of the Tinker Hatfield/Nike partnership that rocketed Nike to the top of both the athletics and fashion worlds.

That’s Salazar winning the 1981 NYC Marathon in a world record 2:08:13. True, it was later determined that the course was short and the 2:08:13 has been pretty much scrubbed from history. I, too, found the video to be very cool. 1982 was definitely a peak year for Nike — The American Eagle racing flat and the Terra TC. I had a pair of Eagles — best racing flat ever. I find it ironic that Nike is making a big deal out of the 30th Anniversary of the Air Max today, which in hindsight was a dead end in running shoe design.

http://barefootrunning.fas.harvard.edu/4BiomechanicsofFootStrike.html