Nike Lunaracer+ : My Review

Nike Lunaracer+ Reissue (thanks to Pete Larson for the composition for this photo)

The Nike Lunaracer+ is the third(ish) iteration of this lightweight racer. The first, Lunaracer (I don't believe the + was out yet) was beloved for its performance. The Lunarlite cushioning received rave reviews for the combination of cushioning without sacrificing performance as a racer. The Lunaracer 2 wasn't as well received. Actually, it was apparently so bad the Lunaracer 1 was reissued. But the reissue had one major change, with the sole converted to the Lunarlon sole. Me, I haven't had a chance to try the original Lunarlite, but supposedly the Lunarlon is a little less cushy, which is good or bad depending on your preference. What's interesting is that it's a two part midsole with a harder outer "shell" and a cushier "meat" filling it. Honestly, the exterior is pretty darn cushy as it is.

Medial (inside) portion of the shoe. Note the Lunarlon sole.

3/4 front

3/4 rear. Note the siping that runs along the sole.  I've heard this makes it  more flexible.

I've run in a pair of reissues for about a year now, putting maybe about 100+ miles on them by now. My final impression: I love them and have been my shoe for almost every single race this year, from 5Ks to my first half-marathon.

Stated weight for a US size 9 is 6.6 ounces, pretty standard for a racer nowadays (this shoe came out back in 2009). But where it still shines is the sole. I've found the Lunarlon cushioning to be perfect for long runs, providing ample amounts of protection without sucking away spring and pop that you want from a racer. Ground feel isn't great as the stack height is significant at 17mm forefoot and 23mm rearfoot, but the low 5mm drop helps me achieve a good mid-foot strike to make up for it. In fact, I feel like my best running form comes from these shoes. It just feels like I get my best footstrike and toe-off from these shoes. So performance-wise, these are my favorite.

It's about average to below average in flexibility for a racer. This is me pushing it to
what I thought was comfortable to bend by hand. Generally with racers, some stiffness is
acceptable as its part of the pop it gives you for speed.

Heel collar is slightly stiffer than I like but has been a complete non-issue for me.
Some folks prefer flexible, some prefer support. If the Nike Frees are a 1 and a traditional
trainer is a 100, I would put these around 40.

Ride comfort is excellent due to the Lunarlon midsole, but overall comfort is significantly hampered by the mediocre upper, something that was addressed in the 4th iteration, the Nike Lunaracer 3+. It's pretty universally accepted that this shoe is too narrow. And I mean even for narrow feet. Everyone buys these shoes at least half a size up and a full size up is fairly common. I went half a size up and after breaking them in and stretching out the upper over the course of maybe 15 miles, they felt a lot better for me. Then along the way I stopped running in socks. At that point the shoe fit great if I did the lacing right. Still, the upper material isn't as comfortable as minimalist shoes or even other new racers on the market. I would describe it semi-breathable and I invariably get blisters on the top of my instep and under my arches after 5 miles. This happens on the same spot in both feet. And always at the 5 mile mark. I wear socks with this shoe now for long runs.

Interior of the tongue. Seamless and comfortable, but tends to slide off to the side almost immediately.

Top of the tongue. The padding design with the padding centered in a bulge like that actually
makes it less comfortable to me than one where its even all across.

Heel collar material and parts of the interior. The heel collar is stiff and irritated my ankle
when I first ran in these. Over time it's disappeared.

Interior of the sole. I don't feel much arch support in these . Racers generally don't have support
and I don't personally prefer it, especially since I train primarily for 5Ks. Insole is moderately thin but
does add to the cushioning.

Removable insole. I have not run like this ever with this shoe. Doesn't look like
its designed to be what with all that exposed stitching that could cause blisters.

The tongue is relatively thin and seamless, a giant kudos to the designers. However, the extra padding in the middle of the tongue causes the entire piece to always slide off to the lateral side of my feet. I mean always and all it takes is maybe 3 minutes of walking to make it do so. The collar can be a little on the stiff side and when I first ran in them I did get ankle irritation. This has disappeared so maybe I've developed callouses in those areas. Despite all these discomforts listed, it's never really been an issue for anything under 3 miles and so most times I run in these shoes sockless.

Style-wise, what can I say? It's Nike and they usually hit the mark here. I love the bright blue colorway on mine. Everything screams space-theme and even the details like the shape of the sole lugs makes you think that this is what an astronaut would wear to a lunar race. I love the style.

Top view. These shoes run very narrow to the point that everyone has to size up at least 1/2 size.
Note the wide base relative to the upper. This can act as a tiny bit of support for a shoe.

Compared to my Mizuno Ronin 2s, which I consider the most perfect fitting for
my feet. The Lunaracers are that much larger to make the width fit. I've been pleasantly
surprised to find the extra length to not be an issue. My foot does not slide around in them.

Front. Those are reflective dots in the front there. No, they don't do anything but look awesome.

Rear with reflective dots and stripes. These look like they may be more noticeable
but its difficult to really check if drivers can see them. I never do night running.

Note the exterior Flywire which acts as an overlay to shape the shoe, support it and take
some of the stress from the laces. The material from the forefoot on back is a semi-rigid
plastic film that is only moderately breatheable. This has apparently been correct
in the new Lunaracer 3+.

Durability is about average for a racer. Most racers last only maybe 150-300 miles. From the looks of the wear on mine, I suspect they'll go another 100 miles before I decide to get a new pair. And the replacement will almost certainly be either the Skechers GoRun Speed or the Lunaracer 3+ with the improved upper. The comfy mesh toebox means I can wear my normal size in them too (yes, I've tried them on at the store and it was probably the single best update of any shoe I've tried)!

Astronaut footprint. Hard carbon rubber replaces some of the exposed foam lugs.
Traction has been good, never had an issue. But I live in sunny California where
traction and weather isn't an issue other than occasional rain.

5mm heel drop. I detect very little wear after 100 miles as I  mid-foot strike cleanly in these.

The front shows signficant wear. The lateral (outside) portion of the foot almost always strikes
first for all runners and can cause some wear there. It shows up clearly here with the nipples of
the lugs just about worn away. The hard carbon lugs are running fine.

Another angle where you can see significant difference between the exposed foam and the
carbon lugs, especially at the tip where it is half carbon half foam. My toes miss the tip of the shoe
by maybe 3/4 of an inch so I'm surprised its wearing all the way up there. Toe-off gives you half
your wear and primarily shows up on the medial (inside) portion of the sole, under the big
toe. I'm surprised its showing up for me all the way to the tip in these shoes.

But it all goes back to the performance. The comfort is not bad, the style for me is excellent and the performance is top notch. Durability isn't an issue for me cuz hey, after one year I'm itching to try a new shoe anyways. Price is about right at $110 retail, but there are a ton of the Lunaracer reissues online for around $60 (I got mine for $40 from eastbay). Final impression: an A-, excellent. Here's hoping the Lunaracer 3+ really earns that plus sign for me.