Barefoot Running Shoes
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Personal Accessories | 18 Comments
Question: What’s the single best designed piece of running equipment?
Answer: It’s a pair of gear you already own—your bare feet.
Most running shoes, it turns out, do more harm than good. The problem is that these shoes are designed to “protect” your feet in a way that they weren’t meant to be. When encased in an excessively built-up running shoe the muscles, tendons and ligaments of your lower extremities will atrophy. That’s because your shoes are doing the work that your legs and feet should be doing.
The other problem with running shoes is that they encourage you to run with the wrong form. Your body is designed to run on the ball and forefront of your feet. Try going for a run barefoot and you’ll experience this yourself—your heels will barely touch the ground. In contrast, most running shoes will cause you to land on your heels in a way that won’t only slow you down but will inevitably lead to knee and back pain.
Shoes, of course, do serve a purpose. They keep your feet cleaner and drier than bare feet, not to mention being useful when there’s a sharp rock or nail under foot.
So what’s an athlete to do? Get a pair of running shoes with a design that mimics the advantages of your bare feet. Here are our two favorite:
Vibram FiveFingers
With their individual toe holds Vibram’s FiveFingers look like they are trying to replicate a bare foot in shoe form. The other striking feature of their design is how flexible the FiveFingers are—you can literally bend them in half! These shoe ares also extremely lightweight and are comprised of rubbery material that contours snuggly around the foot. All that makes a pair of Vibram FiveFingers feel more like a second layer of skin than like shoes.
Our suggestion: Although you can use FiveFingers for long distance running Spot Cool Stuff prefers them for more routine physical activity like jogging and light-to-moderate hiking. The soles of the shoe are tough enough for everyday use and for climbing over rocks, gravel or anything else you’d tread on with sneakers. We love these shoes for travel too, especially to tropical destinations. With a pair of FiveFingers you can run on a beach and get that barefoot feeling without the worry of stepping on sharp shells and glass. You can even swim with them on! Of the various FiveFingers models we are partial to the KSO (Keep Stuff Out)—to us they felt more comfortable and looked more stylish than Vibram’s Sprint and Classic models (although they do take a bit of extra work to take on and off).
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Newton
Compared to the Vibram FiveFingers (above), a pair of Newtons may look more like your typical running shoe. But they don’t feel that way. Key to the design of the Newton is the rubber actuator lug that extends from the base of the shoe’s forefoot area to the toes. Imagine a sort of springboard in the middle of the shoe that propels you forward in a way that mimics how a bare foot bounces you from one stride into the next—running in a pair of Newtons feels a little like you are always on a slight downhill. Newtons are also lightweight, highly breathable and among the most comfortable running shoes on the market.
Our suggestion: At the cost of around US$150~175, a pair of Newtons are a significant investment. If you are a frequent runner, and especially if you are training for a marathon or triathlon, Spot Cool Stuff feels that Newtons are well worth the cost. There are a variety of models to choose from. Novice runners, or those uncertain about their form, would do best starting with a pair of Guidance Trainers. More experienced runners should consult the Newton website for advice on which shoe best fits their running style. Of all the Newton models we are most fond of the All-Weather Trainer—it has an especially grippy sole and comes with breathable, anti-bacterial and moisture-wicking sockliners. The All-Weather Trainer, like all Newton models, can be comfortably worn without socks.
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More on barefoot running . . .
To learn why running barefoot is superior to running in a typical pair of shoes you could pour through out a slew of academic studies on the subject. Or, for vastly more entertaining read, check out Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen. This nonfiction book reads like a mystery-adventure; it starts with the question Why do feet hurt so much after one day of running? and ends with an unlikely group of indigenous people in the wilds of Mexico.
America’s Podiatrist has a great overview of the harm typical running shoes can cause your feet, knees and legs. We are also fans of the Barefoot Runner website.
There is, believe it or not, a Society For Barefoot Living. The group runs a blog and has all sorts of info on the benefits of going barefoot; it is also a great resource for meeting people who are anti-shoe.
BUY: VIBRAM FIVE FINGERS / NEWTON | FIND SHOE DISCOUNTS | FOLLOW US ON TWITTER
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The World’s 5 Best Shoe Museums
Lose Weight While Traveling: Three Fun & Cool Trips
Special thanks to Kellie Finn for her help with this post
November 27th, 2009at 9:34 pm(#)
this is cool!
December 2nd, 2009at 8:39 pm(#)
Started wearing the Newtons in September of this year, and after a period of adjustment (as recommended by Newton), can safely say that my running form is much more efficient.
I’ll never wear another brand again.
December 2nd, 2009at 9:56 pm(#)
Newtons are perhaps the best shoes I have ever run in and I have been a runner for over 25 years. Over the past few years I was having a lot of problems with my hamstrings, hips and metatarsal area. I tried Newtons about 3 weeks ago and am now running pain free. Thanks for a wonderful product!!!
December 6th, 2009at 9:22 pm(#)
I have a pair of Vivo Barefoot Aqua shoes from Terra Plana myself. They’re designed to emulate walking barefoot (and do so perfectly) and are definitely worth consideration for barefooters.
December 6th, 2009at 9:36 pm(#)
Puma H Streets, while not marketed as a running shoe (and not even listed under running on their website) are another great option for minimalistic footwear. And they’re cheap, about $30 a pair if you shop around. They may not be in the second-skin class like V5F, but they are as un-shoe as you get otherwise. Without a thick layer of foam to breakdown, they also last pretty much until you wear a hole through the rubber or rip apart the upper. And if you walk around in them it doesn’t look like you’re one of those people who only wears running shoes. I have been running in them for quite some time now (after a long period of using standard trainers and supplementing actual barefoot running several days a week) and it’s been great. If you’re not used to running barefoot or in low toe/heal ratio shoes, there is a definite transition period (as in, you can hurt yourself if you just switch overnight). And once you’re used to them, standard trainers feel so foreign to your feet, you really start to take the validity of the recent barefoot research seriously.
December 6th, 2009at 10:33 pm(#)
That’s why the kenyans are always winning races. They run barefoot and they run everywhere when they are growing up.
December 7th, 2009at 1:58 pm(#)
These are really neat! How much do they normally go for, especially the Vibram’s Five Fingers? I’m an avid outdoor runner (I hate the treadmill) and would love a pair of these! It all depends on the cost though…
December 7th, 2009at 4:09 pm(#)
yes, cool…but kinda creepy…aleksandra k
December 7th, 2009at 6:34 pm(#)
Hi Morgan,
Vibram’s Five Fingers are currently around $80, give or take $10. Click our LEARN MORE & BUY links to get pricing information and other details.
~ SCS
December 7th, 2009at 7:54 pm(#)
great review.. i think a better comparison would be the nike free and vibrams as the nike free are unique in the way it flexes to allow a more barefoot running style.
December 9th, 2009at 3:10 am(#)
Thanks for the post. I have to say, I really don’t get how more shoe – the Sir Isaacs – is getting closer to barefoot?! To be fair, I haven’t tried them, just Vibram Five Finger KSOs and Vivo Barefoot Aquas. But I’ve seen the shoes in person and there’s a lot to them. Don’t get the attention they’re getting. The company talks the talk, but way too much shoe IMHO.
December 21st, 2009at 5:45 am(#)
Awesome article! I’m a major component of barefoot and minimalist shoe running. I run a series of clinics to teach people (http://barefootrunninguniversity.com), and the info you guys provide here is absolutely correct! Nice work!
-Jason
January 20th, 2010at 10:30 pm(#)
do you guys think it would work if I got some swimming/pool shoes and ran in them as a cheaper alternative to vibram’s?
January 21st, 2010at 1:38 pm(#)
Ahmed,
Well, none of the pool shoes we’ve seen are actually very good for swimming in. We have seen a few products billed as “swimming shoes” but none of those make good walking (much less hiking) footwear.
For such a distinctive, well-made product we think Vibram’s are extremely reasonable in price.
January 22nd, 2010at 2:56 am(#)
To be more specific, how about some scuba diving boots. Something like this;
http://bit.ly/cHyAVd
or this
http://bit.ly/9tz57n
?? Also, what about martial arts shoes. Try to google “feiyue”
I don’t plan on doing any hiking in them or anything of that sort, mostly simple walking as a transition into the “barefoot” style.
January 29th, 2010at 10:45 pm(#)
Ahmed,
Your links, I think, back up our point. Those scuba boots only really work for underwater use. They aren’t meant for walking on land. And even if you put up with the discomfort of doing so (which would be considerable after a while) you’d find that simple pavement would tear up the soles rather quickly.
Now, there are certainly shoes that are designed to get wet. We don’t have personal experience with the martial arts shoes that you mentioned, but Cudas makes a great pair of water shoes that only cost around $25 (a great deal, we think) . . .
http://bit.ly/9LQfe0
. . . and New Wave makes a pair of water running sneakers:
http://bit.ly/ahRXYb
For what you are describing a pair of sandals like Tevas . . .
http://bit.ly/deX9pC
. . . or even a simple pair of flip-flops would do the trick too. In all of those shoes you could wade through a river or go on a wet canoe ride (okay, maybe not the flip-flops but the other ones). But you wouldn’t really want to swim in any one them. For optimal running form you wouldn’t want to use any of them either.
Vibrams are easily the best shoes we know of to, for example, go on a walk through a jungle, then stroll on a beach, then wade out across rocks, then go for a swim, then make that trip back all without taking off your shoes. Plus you can go jogging and hiking with them or wear them for every-day use. For your particular situation it could be that you don’t require shoes that are so versatile. If that’s the case then, definitely, there are options like the Cudas that would be cheaper.
~ SCS
February 19th, 2010at 6:11 pm(#)
They say that the hardest part of running is putting on the shoes. . . . no excuses now! PS I work out barefoot often & find it’s one of the most enjoyable ways to exercise. Spa wishes, Candy
February 19th, 2010at 6:13 pm(#)
I’ve always been a barefoot kinda gal – especially on beach runs great toe workout. So If the hardest part of running is putting on the shoes. . . . no excuses now! PS I work out barefoot often & find it’s one of the most enjoyable ways to exercise. Spa wishes, Candy