I recently finished reading the incredibly eye-opening and delightfully inspiring book Born to Run, by Christopher McDougall. In it, Chris introduces us to Barefoot Ted, a big man with a big mouth and an equally big heart who used to have terrible foot pains that crippled his running ability. He began to walk without shoes and soon experimented with running sans shoes. Before long, he was racking up some major miles in the hills around LA, not experiencing any more foot pain. Somewhere along the line, Barefoot Ted came across some Vibram Five Fingers shoes and tried them out. They are basically a mesh sock with rubber on the bottom, offering a little protection from sharp edges and rough surfaces, but no arch support. They also have areas for each toe, like foot mitten.

Well, it was love right out of the gait for Barefoot Ted. In fact, he fell so head over heels with the way they felt that he called the CEO of Vibram to ask the company to sponsor him in his upcoming ultramarathons. Having been designed for more stable activities like kayaking, the CEO blew Ted off. However, being the persistent one, Ted convinced him to at least try running in the Five Fingers. Well, after a short jaunt, Ted received a call and a sponsorship.

Fast forward to the publication of Born to Run and the Vibram Five Fingers are being embraced by all sorts of runners and outdoor enthusiasts alike. Curious to feel first-hand what all the fuss was about, I decided to give them a try. Naturally, I headed to Zombie Running in Palo Alto, one of the premier trail and ultra running stores in the country (they also have excellent espresso and cold-pressed coffee, expertly crafted by the owner, Don – trail running and espresso…heaven). Turns out that I wasn’t the only person that wanted to check out the Five Fingers. There must have been 15 people who tried them on this afternoon (I spent about 3 hours there, chatting, reading, and sipping an Americano). There has been such a rush on the shoes that they only had a few sizes available and a waiting list, with at least a two month wait for the black KSOs!

I was able to try on a pair that was a little too big, but close enough to give me a sense for what they feel like. First off, it took me five minutes to get all of my toes in the right holes, as this was the first time in which their placement in a shoe actually mattered. Once I had corralled all 10 little piggies into their pens, I took them for a walk around the store. I have to say, even after reading so much about them in Born to Run, online, and building up my expectations for what they would feel like, they felt quite good. The cool sensation from the tiled floor was the first thing I noticed. I hadn’t had that sensation walking in. I also noticed the hardness of the floor, though not in a painful way. I was simply aware that I was standing on a hard surface. After a few more steps in the Five Fingers I felt a different feeling all together. Swelling from within was a simultaneous sense of freedom and alertness. I was more present, in the moment, connected to my environment. I was alive. The last time I remember feeling that way was going skinny dipping in cold pool of water in Yosemite.

While a few strides around a store in a slightly too large pair of Vibram Five Fingers is certainly not enough of an experience to warrant a review let alone a verdict, I am even more intrigued. All of the arguments for why these shoes would be better for my feet than most anything else out there make sense, but I will need to give them a full try. I’ll let you know when that happens and how it goes.

Here is a clip of Christopher McDougall, Author of Born to Run, talking about wearing his Five Fingers: