The Nike V-series was a lineup of shoes for women including the Venue, Vengeance, and the Vortex.

The Venue was the most stable of the three, followed by the Vortex. The Vengeance was a lightweight cushioned shoe.

Nike V-Series Circa May 1986

The Vortex was apparently the best of both worlds according to the ad print, and usually stability shoes work for a majority of runners so that makes sense.

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An ad touting the durability of the New Balance 850.

New Balance 850 Circa September 1984

The 850 used carbon rubber, cordura for the upper, a high density footbed, and a strong heel counter to resist breakdown from runners who were hard on their shoes. Apparently runners in this era had a fair amount of trouble finding a shoe that would last; most buyers today are not overly concerned about durability since modern shoes rarely have that problem. Leave a comment!

This is an ad featuring the Saucony Shadow. The Shadow adapted features of some of Saucony’s other shoes, such as the Jazz and the Freedom Trainer.

Saucony Shadow Circa October 1985

Also, look at those socks. I’m sure at some point crew length socks will get popular again, but at this point its hard to get someone to wear anything taller than a no-show.

Leave a comment if you enjoyed the ad.

“To Make Sure You Get The Right Running Shoe, Pick Up The Box You Checked.”

New Balance Circa March 1989

I always like the ads that have several shoes in them, because it gives you a larger picture of what running shoe lines were like back then. The emergence of new technologies was nearly as prolific as it is today. Leave a comment!

This just goes to show you that running shoe brands have been making women’s specific fits for a long time, even though certain brands advertise otherwise.

Converse Athena Circa October 1985

It’s interesting to see that Converse had a serious approach to technical running footwear in the past. Converse is of course better known for Chuck Taylors. Leave a comment!

The Turntec Invincible was one of the only running shoes I know of that used polyurethane cushioning instead of EVA. As the ad states, polyurethane is more durable, but it doesn’t mention the fact that it is generally firmer as well.

Turntec Invincible Circa 1987

Jerry Turner, the owner of Turntec, had some pretty good ideas for shoes, but Turntec is no more. Leave a comment!

A simple ad, with a humorous twist of words. See for yourself.

Saucony Advance Circa September 1984

The interesting part of this ad is that it doesn’t really show very much of the shoe, perhaps piquing interest in the shoe itself.

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The New Balance 470 apparently made the road feel like pillows, according to this ad. So without further ado, here it is:

New Balance 470 Circa October 1985

A fairly spartan ad, but I’ve only found it in one magazine, so they must not have run this one for very long. Leave a comment if you enjoyed the ad.

Kaepa Circa October 1985

Kaepa is still around today, but they don’t seem to be making running shoes. Also, I wonder if it was worth it for them to pay for that extra page with almost nothing on it. Leave a comment!

Asics Gel Technology Circa March 1989

I still remember having some of the sample Gel units in the store, and the newer Gel technology has improved drastically since then, so hug your local chemist today. Leave a comment after the jump.