Nike Sole | Prosthetic Running Blade Sole

The athlete pictured above is named Sarah Reinertsen and she was the first woman on a prosthetic leg to complete the Hawaiian Ironman Triathlon. Which is an exhausting 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bicycle ride, and a 26.2 mile run. A standard marathon by itself is 26.2 miles! Through virtually all of her races Reinertsen used a prosthetic blade. A prosthetic leg made for racing that is lightweight, flexible, and absorbs shock. One drawback was the bottom of the blade’s “foot”. She would use the soles of traditional running shoes and attach them to the bottom of the prosthetic blade to get traction. This proved to be unpredictable and unreliable. Then in 2006 she began working with Nike to develop a solution. The result is the Nike Sole. A detachable sole made specifically for the Össur’s Flex-Run prosthetic running blade.

First Nike worked with Össur to develop a way to easily get a sole on and off the blade. They came up with a connecting piece that had the same contour of the blade and gliding “fingers” on top. This allowed the sole to slide on, click into place, then slide off when done. As added security, there is a rubber strap with tactile grip at the back of the sole that loops over a circular piece to prevent the sole from sliding off.

The sole is made up of multiple layers that transition from the blade to the ground. Here is how the Nike Sole website describes the construction of the sole:

The Nike Sole features an integrated layered sole including an outsole, midsole and thermal plastic urethane called Aeroply, made of recycled Nike Air Bag units, serving as moderator between Nike Sole and the Össur Flex-Run’s carbon fiber blade.

For wold class athletes with leg prosthetics like Reinertsen, the Nike Sole is a great addition for them. By removing a potential concern over foot traction, they can focus on the task at hand. Watch the videos below to see more on how the Nike Sole was developed and then used by Reinertsen. For more information on the Nike Sole visit the product website here Nike Sole Website. If you want to read more on Sarah Reinertsen and her accomplishments, visit this biographical page.