My Old Track Spikes From The Early 1980's Tell A Story

This is a picture of my Puma Hurricane track spikes that I wore in high school -- 34 years ago. It may seem a bit odd to keep something like this for well over 3 decades, but I set regional records in these spikes and they sit in a box of old high school memorabilia. I dug them out a couple of weeks ago when I was watching the Rio Olympics and noticed the cool spikes that many of the athletes were wearing. There's been a lot of advancements in track spikes in 30+ years (design, materials, cost!, etc.) and I was curious to do a little reading on the topic.

Nike created the official track spikes for the 2016 Olympic Games, many athletes wearing the "Zoom Superfly Elite." It was in development for four years! They feature fixed-pin spikes instead of removable spikes. Actually, Nike had well over a dozen different performance spikes and flats that track and field athletes could select from for the Olympics.

Spikes have certainly come a long way since the early 1980's. I'm no longer that 18-year-old sprinter/hurdler running on the oval in my Puma Hurricane spikes. I'm in my early 50's now, but couldn't resist slipping on those well-worn spikes to see if they still fit. Well, they're a bit tight... but memories of preparing to run the 110-Meter High Hurdles came flooding back. To me, my spikes tell a story of persevering in the sport of track during high school.

I attended Juneau-Douglas High School in Juneau, Alaska (which is Alaska's capital city) and our team didn't have a coach who knew anything about high hurdling. So, I watched every TV news sports segment I could featuring hurdling (this was well before the Internet existed!) and would read books on hurdling technique. I would look through sports magazines in the store seeking pictures of hurdlers to study their form over the hurdle. Essentially, I would try to find any information I could and then try to teach myself how to do it. My coach even let me take a hurdle home so that I could work at it outside of track practice. I persevered and eventually figured out the technique and the three-step stride between the high hurdles. I went to the state championships each year and ultimately won the regional competition in my senior year, setting a record. When I look at my old spikes, I see a story of a teenager who taught himself how to do something that he truly wanted to accomplish.

Although I was never on the grand stage of the Olympics, I take pride in my teenage track accomplishments. I have wonderful memories of hurdling, sprinting, and anchoring relay teams. In many ways, my old track spikes tell the story of a guy who taught himself how to do something, and with the confidence acquired I was able to teach myself other valuable skills in life -- both athletically and professionally. Essentially, the spikes from my high school days remind me that you can teach yourself anything if you want to learn it bad enough.

From Him, Through Him, For Him (Romans 11:36),

Paul J. Staso

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Visit my YouTube channel -- https://www.youtube.com/user/pacetrek

Click on any of the links below to see some of my adventure photos:

• United States in 2006 (3,260 miles solo in 108 days at age 41)
• Montana in 2008 (620 miles solo in 20 days at age 43)
• Alaska in 2009 (500 miles solo in 18 days at age 44)
• Germany in 2010 (500 miles solo in 21 days at age 45)
• The Mojave Desert in 2011 (506 miles solo in 17 days at age 46)
• Various Photos From Mileposts Gone By
• Students Worldwide Who Ran With Me Virtually
• Roadside Sights From My Running Adventures
• Some Cycling Moments From The Past