Imagine if a runners' foot could talk.

Let's say it's 1960 and you're jogging down a rocky path, landing on one wobbly stone after another.

Parker Smith/Special (ENLARGE)

Nike Shox shoes.

File photo /AJC (ENLARGE)

Runners start off during 2001's Peachtree Road Race.

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The foot chatter would include a resounding, 'Ouch.'

But by the 1980s when Nike's Air Jordans were introduced and other cushiony soles followed —there would have been sounds of "Hallelujah."

Former Boston Marathon winner and Atlanta native Gayle Barron has seen running shoes evolve.

"When I started running [in the late 1960s] I had to wear men's shoes," she says. "Women's sneakers and athletic wear didn't exist."

Barron now trains marathon runners through the USA Fit Team Spirit program and she will sport Mizuno Wave Riders on Friday when she runs in her 31st Peachtree Road Race.

The crowd of 55,000 participants also includes radio host Clark Howard, who traditionally brings up the rear as the last runner of the race. This year he will wear Brooks GTS sneakers, which he says were bought off a Phidippides clearance rack for $45.

On the heels of the 39th Peachtree Road Race, we take a look at past sneaker trends.

A LOOK AT SNEAKER HISTORY

"Early in the 1970s it was the Nike and Adidas war," says Marshal Cohen chief industry analyst with NPD, a market research group. "It was really the beginning of the running shoe as a pure shoe. Before then nobody really paid attention to what they were designed for. Then the running shoe really kicked into high gear when Nike introduced the waffle sole. The running shoe was born."

1969: In the year of the first Peachtree Road Race, famed quarterback Joe Namath wore Puma sneakers in the New York Jets Super Bowl III victory over the Baltimore Colts.

1972: United States Olympic trial runners at the University of Oregon compete in Nike's Moon Shoe. Also referred to as a waffle shoe, it was created by pouring rubber into a waffle iron. The late Olympian Steve Prefontaine was one of the athletes on that team, which was coached by Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman.

1975: High and low top Converse All-Stars, frequently called "Chucks" after former basketball player Chuck Taylor, were a hit. Ron Wershing at Phidippides running store calls them the first cross-trainers.

1979: Nike introduces its air technology with the Tailwind running shoe, which has air cushioning in the mid-soles.

1981: Mizuno introduces its Runbird shoes.

1982: With the women's fitness craze under way, Reebok introduces a freestyle running shoe for aerobics fiends.

1985: Michael Jordan endorses Nike Air and the names become forever linked. Saucony introduces its Jazz shoe.

1987: The first of many generations of Nike Air Max shoes with a high-tech cushioning unit. Shock-absorbing Gels are popular in jogging shoes. Asics introduces Freaks.

1989: Reebok Pump has an answer to Nike Air technology with a small pump in the tongue of the shoe that inflates and tightens the shoe around the ankle.

1990: Asics launches Marathon Sortie Ex, a lightweight shoe that blends synthetic leather and urethane.

1992: LA Gear (which was distributed by Asics Corp) matched Reebok with pumps in its shoes and also added flashing lights in the heels.

1998: New Balance shoes become increasingly popular for its comfort and width.

TODAY: Runners have abundant style choices. Nike even has a transmitter in its shoes that can feed into your iPod Nano. "It seems like Nike was always leading the pack. Not that they were the best but they were in the forefront," says Noah Johnson, associate editor at Mens Fitness Magazine. "Now styles are all over the place. We see a resurgence of vintage styles and a lot of brands are creating shoes for different types of feet. People seem to want more futuristic styles. Lately you're seeing more shoes on the shelf closer to $200. Five years ago there were very few shoes on the shelf that would've been that expensive."