In attempt to get some of the market share lost to Nike’s Metcon back, the official clothier of CrossFit is paying your way into the 2017 CrossFit Games Open if, and only if, you buy a new pair of the Reebok Nano 7 between now and the start of the Open. (Open registration fee: $20, shoes must be purchased on reebok.com)

Directly from Reebok’s website:

For Nano 7 purchases made on Reebok.com between Jan. 5 and Jan. 9, a free registration code will be emailed on Jan. 9. For all those who purchase the Nano 7 beginning Jan. 10, emails with the free registration code will be sent within 24 hours of the purchase … just in time for Open registration to begin on Jan. 12.

Hold the phone, you’re saying. Nanos are out NOW? They usually drop right before the Games in July. Well, Nike did a sneaky little thing in 2015 and dropped their first Metcon in January, getting a jump on all the kids with Christmas money and cornering all the New Years’ resolutioning gym-goers looking to give CrossFit a shot for the first time.

Since then, Nanos have been replaced by Metcons on CrossFitting feet across the country, mine included. Pre-CrossFit, all of my sneakers had been Nike – so I was rather excited to snap up a pair when the ladies’ model dropped around Games season in 2015. My OG pair of Metcons are still holding strong a year and a half later. The only reason I got a pair of the Metcon 2’s are because they were on sale in November, and for some reason I’m a sucker for the aqua & neon yellow combo.

I will admit that I actually still prefer Nanos for deadlifting because they are flatter and have less cushioning between you and the floor. In all other departments, the Metcons take my personal cake.

It’s a hard press to find feet in new Nanos at the box nowadays.

Aside from the waived entry fee, one of the few positives I can think up about this is that if Games athletes are always required to compete in the newest incarnation of the Nano each year, this at least gives them a lot more time to familiarize and train in the shoe between Regionals and the Games. That’s about all I’ve got.

At one point, I’m sure that Reebok execs laughed at the fact that Nike was 4 years behind in the training shoe game, thinking that there was no way Nike could catch up and overtake a product that had been refined for years already, but it seems as though there ain’t no shame in the Metcon game and Nike is still going strong.

For those who CrossFit, what are your thoughts on each shoe?

Do you think that moving the release date up 6 months and the Open reg offer are last ditch efforts by Reebok to keep their once-dominant shoe relevant? I can’t help but wonder how many Nanos we’d see in July if the Games competitors were given freedom of footwear. Regionals will be a big indicator.

IMHO, Nike comes out on top. Literally.