words // Zack Schlemmer
In today's classic advertisement, we see Michael Johnson in the Nike Air Zoom Spiridon running shoe.
Michael Johnson is one of the greatest sprinters of all time and the owner of four Olympic gold medals. After the 1996 Olympic games (where he wore his famous gold shoes) he was a household name, one of the last runners to be that popular. Nowadays, few of us can name any track and field athletes, let alone see them featured in a nationally televised commercial. Times were different in 1997, however, and here we get to see Michael with cameos by Kenny Lofton and Gary Payton in a group meeting for people dealing with their super human speed.
If he wanted to slow down, the Air Zoom Spiridon probably wasn't the shoe he wanted to wear. The Spiridon, one of the first shoes with Zoom Air, was a a sleek and lightweight running shoe that was definitely not going to slow him down. One of the "big three" running shoes from Nike in 1997 along with the Air Max '97 and Zoom Talaria, the Spiridon is an ultimate classic among Nike running enthusiasts.
