Nike Introduces 3 Metcon Shoes Including a FlyEase Version and a Special Edition for CrossFit Champ Mat Fraser
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Nike is about to add some new shoes to its CrossFitter-favorite Metcon franchise.
To match today’s needs of the CrossFit community, the Nike Metcon 6 was designed with breathability in mind, to keep athletes cool as the workouts ramp up. According to the brand, the Metcon 6 upper offers 18% more airflow than its predecessor without sacrificing durability, which is provided by an updated version of the haptic topcoat from the Metcon 5.
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This improved breathability is especially attractive to Nike-backed Mat Fraser, who is a four-time CrossFit Games champion.
“You can only get used to heat when you actually train in it — there’s no substitute,” Fraser said in a statement. “It feels like wearing a weight vest. Staying cool has everything to do with your pacing while training or competing. If you’re overheating, you won’t be able to run a mile at a normal pace, but added to that, you won’t be able to recover from that mile at the same pace either.”
The Metcon 6 also features heel clips for minimal friction against the wall for handstand pushups, Hyperlift inserts and wide heels for stability, dual-density drop-in midsoles for comfort and a directional traction design to better grab ropes during climbs.
Nike members will have the first shot at buying the Metcon 6 on Aug. 4. A broader release of the shoe is scheduled for Aug. 31. Retail price is $130.
But before the brand delivers the Metcon 6, it will release a special edition of the shoe for Fraser.
The Nike Metcon 6 “Mat Fraser” features black, which the brand said represents the “dark space” the decorated athlete goes to when he blocks out distractions. It also includes a red base underneath a layer of mesh and a red stripe across the side, which Nike said is a nod to his focus. Lastly, the blue hits throughout the upper are an homage to “the ice in his veins.”
Other references to Fraser include four circular symbols on the heel for his CrossFit Games wins and a pair of nods on the sockliner: phrasing inspired by the serenity prayer on the sockliner and the acronym for his mantra, “Hard Work Pays Off.”
“In a lot of ways, I see myself as an engineer sees a machine. I’m always fine-tuning my body, and I see everything as graphs and numbers,” Fraser said in a statement. “I know the compounding effects of bringing the details together into one equation. That includes how I train, how I eat, how I sleep and who I surround myself with. All of that starts with my mental approach.”
The Nike Metcon 6 “Mat Fraser” arrives July 29 and will retail for $140.
Lastly, Nike revealed the first-ever FlyEase edition of a Metcon shoe.
The model includes a TPU tail gate on the heel that allows the wearer to step down and collapse the heel, which makes access easy for anyone and eliminates the need to tie the laces again.
“When I’m competing against other people, I’m holding myself to the same standards as every able-bodied athlete does,” renowned CrossFitter Logan Aldridge, who lost an arm in a boating accident at age 13, said in a statement. “That’s the gift of our sport. The community is rooted in support and respect, and that extends to all abilities, because we all push each other to be better. If I had to think of a way to describe universal design, that would be it.”
Nike Metcon 6 FlyEase arrives Aug. 31 and will come with a $130 price tag.
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