Abstract: A track shoe is described having a shoe upper and sole made on a straight last, whose last axis bisects the heel and passes through the second metatarsal head of the wearer's foot. The spike plate portion of the sole has a rear pair of spike fasteners which place the two rearmost spikes behind the heads of the overlying first and fifth metatarsal bones. The spike fasteners of such rear pair are centered along a straight line which intersects the last axis at an obtuse angle in the range of about 102.degree. to 115.degree. which is substantially the same as the angle of intersection between such axis and a line between the first and fifth metatarsal heads. A third spike fastener is located behind the head of the third metatarsal bone ahead of the line adjoining the rear pair of spike fasteners. The track shoe is provided with a shoe upper of open mesh nylon fabric.

Abstract: A straight last athletic training shoe is described employing a foam core sole layer and an apertured sole layer between a harder outer sole layer and the shoe upper. The apertured sole layer provides lightweight cushioning and is preferably a heel lift layer positioned below an intermediate sole layer having a soft resilient foam core surrounded by a border portion of harder resilient material for stability. The foam core is provided within an elongated opening extending longitudingly beneath the heel, arch and metatarsal bones of the wearer's foot for greater cushioning and support. The apertures in the heel lift layer are arranged in three longitudinal rows with at least some apertures being in alignment with the foam core of the intermediate sole layer and the middle row having apertures which are staggered out of alignment with the apertures of the outer two rows.