Nuvali was the site of the first 10K session of the Nike Run Club Manila (NRCMNL) last July 16, 2016 and it proved to be “epic” as some of us got the privilege to try the latest Nike LunarEpic Flyknit.  Here’s a glimpse of this weekend as well as my quick review of this pair.

We arrived in Nuvali fairly early that Saturday and so I got to see the tents and display being setup.  I actually didn’t know what to expect as I’ve not joined a session of NRCMNL after the first.  All I know is that we’ll be running 10K and I’ll be trying a pair.  And later on, the LunarEpic Flyknits started coming out…

One by one, other bloggers started arriving and not before long, the busloads of participants including the coaches and pacers.  And then it’s finally time to put on our Nikes!

As always, we started today’s session with a warmup.  This session is special as it’s led by none other than Coach Rio himself.  And since I was starting to get hungry, I availed of some snacks that were offered.

I thought it was going to be a typical 10K run, but it wasn’t.  It turns out that today’s session would be a 10K trail run!  Nike LunarEpic Flyknit definitely isn’t designed for the trails, but let’s see…

We started on paved roads and then gradually got introduced to the trails by initially running on the trails beside the main roads.  Eventually, we entered the trails where some trail races have been held in the past.  And since it was raining prior to our 10K run, there were some puddles and mud along the way.  I feel so sorry for the pair that I was wearing.

Halfway through the run, we were out of the trails and were having a quick break.  It actually felt more like a trail running event rather than a training session as participants of the same pace group got distributed wide because of the trails.  We took the halfway mark for the rest of our group to catch up, but some were left too far behind to reach us before we started running again.  This time, it’s all roads.

It was already starting to get dark when we finally completed our 10K run.  It took much longer than most of us had anticipated, but personally I loved it as I got to run the trails once again.  We also arrived just in time to capture the last light of the day as the sun slowly sets into the horizon.

And once the majority arrived, our group started with the cool down routines.  I, on the other hand, was busy munching along the snacks.  I was famished, in my defense!

* * *

Overall, the Nike LunarEpic Flyknit did very well with this test.  It’s definitely not designed for the trails, but it loved the paved road.  Here are my thoughts:

Pros:

• Very comfortable; much like wearing only socks
• Excellent cushioning
• Breathable
• Light
• Firm grip on pavement
• A lot of color options

Cons:

• Price (SRP ₱8,845)

To be honest, I can’t think of any major deal-breaker with this shoe aside from the price.  It’s very comfortable, the cushioning is very bouncy, the grip is good, there are a lot of colors to choose from, and it is very light.  In all honesty, this is one of those shoes that I really dream of having, but the price is a bit prohibitive for me.  But if you’re looking for some really good shoes and price isn’t really a concern then I would totally recommend the Nike LunarEpic Flyknit!  Just don’t use it on the trails, okay? 😀

Special thanks to the folks behind Nike, NRCMNL, and EON for making this “epic” weekend a reality! 😀