Vibram Five Fingers are claimed to offer a simple and sleek design offering a more balanced and control approach to wearing shoes.
From the manurfacturer’s web site:
The typical human foot is an anatomical marvel of evolution with 26 bones, 33 muscles and hundreds of sensory receptors, tendons and ligaments. Like the rest of the body, to keep our feet healthy, they need to be stimulated and exercised.
That’s why we recommend wearing FiveFingers for exercise, play, and for fun. Stimulating the muscles in your feet and lower legs will not only make you stronger and healthier, it improves your balance, agility and proprioception.
What’s more they also make booties for dogs!
a Loop runner was wearing these … unusual to say the least
They were on the feet of a Bash runner this year as well. It would seem that 1 draw back would be the amount of debris collected inside during a trail race?.
They have pink a lavender for the girly girls too – some have a mesh across the top of the foot – those would be the ones I would try as I do not like to get debris in my shoes….. neat! I think I’ll try the socks!!
IGGY
Did you see on the Website that there is a Harvard professor doing a study and wants runners to participate? I might check it out. You get free stuff.
I saw the info on the study. It does ask that prospective candidates need to have been users of these shoes for 6 months. Did I mention that Guth and I have a pair on order? …………….. Watch this space 🙂
I really like the running exercises and techniques in Chi running – and these “support” the “energy saving” kinds of postures and techniques related to that kind of practice…. I think it will be very interesting to wear them. Did you get the socks too? The runner at the Bash was wearing them for the 1st time that day – I think (99% certain) – He really liked them & he was also wearing them at Leathermans (yep the same runner!) – he said they were great!
hmmmm
Guth has the fully enclosed version, while I have a pair with the strap over the foot. They appear to be designed to be worn without socks. I’m not sure if I’ll run in them yet – Guth wanted a pair and while we’re not competitive, that meant I had to have a pair as well! 😉
I get various kayaking magazines/catalogs from time to time and I have noted that they have been marketed to that community for quite a while, I believe well before they were “offered” to runners. The idea for kayakers is to assure safety if you have to get out and walk in shallow waters with slippery and/or sharp (think barnacles) bottoms. While I see the possibility that long-term, low-volume running in these might promote better running form and foot health, I do think that it would increase the possibility of a “catastrophic” injury