Archive DNA & Pruzan Present

London Roads: A History of Running and Sneakers

Nike Zoom Victory Elite and Flyknit Trainer - Athlete Exclusive

These are the actual pairs given to athletes to wear during the 2012 London games. The Zoom Victory Elite was a state of the art 1500 meter track spike, featuring flywire and carbon fibre. The Flyknit Trainer was a 10k runner that was also given to winners of the USA team to wear on the medal stand.

Zoom Vaporfly Elite Flyprint

“This is the future” a quote from the fastest marathon runner of all time, Eliud Kipchoge, on the incredible 3D Printed shoe. With only 50 pairs ever made, this shoe is special. Released exclusively in London for the 2018 annual marathon. The future of footwear design and manufacturing.

Nike Air Rift

One of the most popular shoes in the UK since its release in 1995 until the mid 2000s. Its design was fully inspired by Kenyan barefoot runners, from the original colourway of the Kenyan flag, the design, and even the name of the shoe. Named after the Great Rift Valley, where Africa is literally splitting in two, it was used as another source of design inspiration to create the decoupled feature to split the toes to give the the runner a more natural motion to “mimic” barefoot running. This shoe also resembles the Japanese traditional “Tabi” footwear which could be the reason why it was so well received.

Nike Rival (1985)

Track Spike worn by and signed by UK long distance runner, Steve Cram. Steve Cram was one of the first British athletes to be sponsored by Nike along with Seb Coe, and first man to run 1500m in under 3:30. A UK Legend.

Nike Air Zoom Streak Ekiden

This shoe was worn by Paula Radcliffe when she won the 2002 London Marathon. Steven Smith (who is also behind the iconic Yeezy footwear line) designed an entire range of Ekiden shoes during his period at Nike. Hakone Ekiden is a week-long relay race in Japan.




Many thanks to Magdi Fernandes and Archive DNA. Archive DNA is a one-stop shop for all things related to the history of sportswear. The A-DNA network’s fabric is made up of market-leading experts and passionate enthusiasts alike, who not only delve into sneaker history but also create excitement for the future of the industry. Explore more on Instagram at @archive.dna and online at archive-dna.com