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On seeing these fivefinger shoes for the first time you would be forgiven for thinking that you were going to be taking part in the next Ninja Turtles film. As the name suggests these shoes have individual toe ‘pouches’ making them look a lot like toe socks, which were popular in the late nineties.

My first initial reaction was, “Oh my God! What on earth are those!”

However, after putting them on I soon discover that they are the most comfortable shoe ever. Perhaps it is because this is how your feet are supposed to feel, rather than having ones toes crushed together.

So are they any good and how would the public react? There was only one way to find out so I decided to brave the stares of the public and go out to do some exercise.

As predicted when I arrived at my gym class I was initially greeted with a few rounds of: “What are those things on your feet?”. I think you just have to get used to this until everybody starts wearing them!

The Vibram sole, from the walking shoe specialists, has been specially molded to match the contours of your feet. It almost feels like you have no shoes on and when you move around your feet are totally supported and feel really comfortable but you still have the same level of protection that you would have wearing shoes.

Well done Fivefingers, I have been converted. You can get your own pair from Five Fingers

Barefooting, Review of Vibram Five Finger Shoes

The best thing happened to my feet – I found a perfect shoe.

The most comfortable shoe in the world (for me, anyway). It seemed like my feet died and went to heaven.

The shoe? Vibram’s Five Fingers

It is called Five Fingers because (wait for it) it has five fingers. Separate compartment for each toe (what a concept)! It offers no support (your muscles get to provide it), plenty of protection against sharp and yukky, and a unique feeling of freedom (feels as if you are barefoot).

Summary: Love them. Very comfortable, improves posture, foot and leg strength. It is a summer shoe as feet get easily cold and wet. Flow model is the only Vibram Five Finger style that offers cold weather/wetness protection, yet, it has been discontinued by Vibram.

Want details? Keep on reading.

The Good and Not so Good

Comfort
Very comfortable. I would have to say it is the most comfortable shoe that I ever had (and I had a lot of shoes). Feet like a glove. Does not cause blisters. This was a bit of concern to me as I hate anything getting between my toes. Those thong flip-flops – hate them! Vibram Five Finger shoes caused no discomfort – very silky on the inside, these shoes made my feet feel like superstars. What a feeling!

Improves bad posture, strengthens muscles
Vibram Five Finger technology presumes that our feet are perfectly designed and require no compensation. They are right. Walking in these shoes is like being barefoot. Walking in Vibram Five Fingers improves gate (how we walk), posture and strength. As postural therapist I have to that it works. I’ve seen marvelous results and transformations take place.

Durable
I’ve been abusing these shes for a couple of weeks now. Great quality. I’ve been very active – running, working out (outside with kettlbells), climbing, riding scooters, playing with my kids on the playground, and running my fitness program. Much abuse! Vibram Five Finger shoes held up beautifully. One word – quality.

Energizing
There is something special about these shoes. I (and 4 of my clients who got Vibram Five Finger shoes) experienced a better connection to the ground. My body wanted to climb trees, jump on rails, sprint and jog. Overall invigoration. An incredible feeling! What’s causing this giddiness? Improved alignment? Improved strength and balance? Hard to say.. All I know is that my feet are loving it!

Wet and Cold Feet
I like my feet warm. Jogging in the morning (grass is dewy) is not an option. Feet get soaked and cold very easily. I teach kettlebell boot camp in the mornings (6am) and wearing Vibram’s Five Finger shoes is not an option (as comfy as they are)

Walking over a puddle (even a very shallow one) will also soak your feet. Great for warm and dry days (or inside use).

Virbram does have a Flow model of Five Fingers. It is all neoprene and should keep my feet warm and dry. Bad news is that this model is being discontinued by Vibram. Get it now while you still can.

Stinky
Vibram Five Finger shoes require no socks. You wear them like a glove. If you are as active as I am and sweat (keep in mind that I’m not an overly sweaty guy) – they will get stinky (may be I should wash my feet a whole lot more often?). Worse than ordinary running shoes. Washing them was easy but had to reserve to ‘odor eaters’ spray. Worked ok – now my shoes smell like rubber and ‘odor eaters’…

History

When Vibram founder Vitale Bramani invented the first rubber soles for mountaineering boots in 1935, it was the beginning of a revolution.

FiveFingers is the latest example of our relentless commitment to research and product innovation at Vibram. Industrial Designer Robert Fliri first proposed the idea of FiveFingers footwear to Marco Bramani, grandson of Vibram founder Vitale Bramani, who immediately embraced the concept. Soon, Fliri joined Vibram and began working with a team of footwear professionals and product engineers who helped him to refine and realize his vision.

Before running the St. George Marathon I buried my Huaraches in the desert. So I was left to run my favorite trails Barefoot. So I was quite surprised to find a $100 gift certificate in the mail for a pair of Vibram Five Fingers. It was like early Christmas when they arrived last December.

Since that time I have been logging an average of 30 miles per week with a distance of 8 to 15 mile run every other day. My first day I put a rip in them running across a lava section of the trail. I was bummed! I also noticed  that the inside of the heal cup was coming undone after only three runs. I thought that I would be attempting a repair job on this part of the shoe, but it has been holding steady since my first runs in the shoe.

One of the things I have had to learn quite quickly is that I must focus on keeping my pinky toes away from rocks and brush as the rubber tip wants to grab everything in sight. I am nursing a dislocated pinky toe as a result of having the toe get ripped to the side. This is not why the seam is coming un-done however in the picture.

I have been pretty impressed with how these shoes handle the the rough Southern Utah desert. I can do things that I could not do in Hauraches, or Barefoot. Even when I was wearing standard trail shoes (Solomon GTX’s as of three years ago). I did start to run with injini socks, but found them to be too hot. The socks however made running on the shale like ruble more tolerable. The secret though is making sure that you are running perfect barefoot form. This is why I start and end each run barefoot on pavement so that I am constantly building the necessary muscle memory.

Running in KSO’s is a dream as I scramble up and down steep boulder strewn sections of the trail. Even thought the the top of the shoe is not protected like my Solomon’s are, my barefoot training and the stickiness of the rubber allow me to jump and run through these sections of trail without worrying about twisting my ankle.

In Huaraches and running long distances I would get what would feel like a heat blister on the bottom of my toe. This is also my experience with the KSO’s, particularly the right toe. If you notice the above diagram my feet slide to the outsides of the shoe with my big toe pressing down to stabilize and maintain grip on the often off camber trails I run. This pressure is also causing the seam to rip on pinky toes. The rubber on the second metatarsal is also causing rips on inside of the first metatarsal (big toe).

More about wear

I will be pulling out my needle and thread to sew up and patch the holes. I will post pictures here for all to see. The bottom of the shoe is still looking like it can handle another 450 miles. The most wear is coming from the outside edge on the ball of the foot. The razor slits are now open and you can see some chunking of the rubber.

Ultra Running with Five Fingers

As I set my sights on running an Ultra (Angeles Crest 100) I would like to see Vibram modify the toes so that the separation of the toes would be molded together maybe the same thickness as the rubber under the arch. That way if the pinky toe is caught on a rock the other toes would be pulled with it. This would allow the toes to act as a unit and would limit injuries. Also it would stop the wear that I am getting on the inside of the big toe. I think the feel would be the same. There is no question that on rough trails and with longer distances that stretch into the 20 hour mark that a more shoe like product is needed. I like the shoe that Barefoot Ted is testing, but I so like the five finger experience and want to run the Angeles Crest with them. I think that there is a market for a five fingers product that is designed to tackle the 100 mile trail run.

Conclusion

Although I am stoked to be running in KSO’s I will be searching for a minimal shoe to run my first 100 mile trail run in. I will push my luck here in a few days and run a 20 miler in the KSO’s after I work on the shoes with needle and thread.