What shoes are you wearing?

Are your feet extremely wet or sweaty? Moisture tends to be a big cause of blisters. I'd definitely avoid cotton socks. I'm a big fan of Balega socks. They've got some cooling and moisture wicking properties.

If your shoes are too small or tied too tight, that could also be causing problems.

I have the same issue with adidas adios, boston, newbalance 890v7, impulse and nike fly and fly flyknit...

I had similar issues back when I ran in shoes that were not wide enough.

Thanks for your answers, my feets are not sweaty at all but my foot is a little bit wide maybe it doesn't help...

I recently started running with Injinji socks, and those reduced my blisters. YMMV

Very interesting! Which shoes do you use that are wide enough?

Thank's didn't know about them...

Altras and the Extra Wide Nike Pegasus.

That blister right between the pads on your foot are exact what I got when my feet got scrunched.

In both training and racing, I slather both feet in Vaseline and never have an issue with heat / blisters. It's worth the extra 60-90 seconds it takes to do it, to avoid these problems. Just my $.02

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"I drank what?!?!" - Socrates
Poor Swimmer. Weak Cyclist. Slow Runner.
TriDot Ambassador / Sacramento Triathlon Club

Is it possible your feet move slightly back and forth when you land? I had this problem when I landed toes first. My toes got heat up from friction. I was able to fix it by landing mid foot. I can see it can get worse if your feet are wet and sweaty.

Thank's for your tips!
I tried vaseline but it wasn't effective.
I only run with forefoot but running technique to use mid-foot is hard to change and I'm not sure that it would be effective.

i've had good luck with feetures socks and injinji toe socks, a and d diaper ointment as a lube, and rock tape h20 over any hot spots, or chronic problem spots. good luck!

A few things.....

Have you tried body glide on your feet and toes? It works really well. Knit shoes suck when they are wet. They hold water...not good on your feet. Your feet looks pretty callused up so that's good. It looks like a moisture thing to me. Also on the last pic your big toe on your left foot????? looks like its pointing to the left like you are developing a bunion. Do both your feet do that? Might want to see an ortho or pediatrist. That with your shoe choice could be causing the problem.

Thanks for the replies! I tried vaseline but not body glide, I thought that it was the same thing... I have seen two orthopedists but they only told me to use vaseline and cotton socks, nothing else.

Here are the tips proposed in the replies maybe it will help somebody else, if someone has more please just reply:

- Lacing too tigth.
- Use vaseline, a and d diaper ointment, body glide.
- Use special socks: balega, injinji, feetures.
- Mid foot landing to avoid feet move slightly back and forth when you land.
- Rock tape h20 over any hot spots.
- Shoes are too tight, not wide enougth. For wide foot wide shoes are to be used, wide shoes normally come with 2E label (the normal fit is D). Nike, Asics, New Balance, Altra, Hoka One one... have some. Here are some examples:
https://www.hokaoneone.eu/...id=wide-fit-men-road
https://www.newbalance.com/...efv1=Wide%20%282E%29
I attach a picture of the different shoe's width on NB website, but the other manufacturers also use the same labels.

In my case I think that there are different situations: the first two pictures are from Kona it was really humid and my foots were really wet, on the other pictures it was dry, it's just overheating.
I usually don't even feel the blisters on the toes, my problem is just on the forefoot, blisters comes sometimes on the forefoot and sometimes under the calluse I have on the forefoot.

Unless you're running in cotton socks, this probably isn't the issue. There are dozens of good options here and all similarly effective - just pick the ones you like best.



If this is true, and you're getting blisters after 20 minutes of a training run, I almost guarantee improper fitting shoes is the issue. Sounds like you've tried several, but keep trying. Like, a lot. I agree with the poster above in that the location/shape of your blisters look to me like you need a wider shoe or perhaps something with a different volume toebox. There are other people on this forum much more knowledgeable about shoes than me. Add in heat/humidity of a race like Kona or Cozumel, not to mention feet can swell over the course of an Ironman, and that will exacerbate your baseline issues. It may not seem like it, but I'm also willing to bet your feet are creating more sweat and moisture during a race than you realize. The physiology behind it is pretty complex, but the reason your foot looks so wrinkled in some of those pictures could be excess moisture, or blood circulation, or even dehydration...

When my wife first started running consistently, she had crazy blisters, even from running like 5 minutes. I had never seen anything like it. Tried all the different socks, several different make/model/sizes of shoes to no avail. Then, she finally found the right shoe and the right fit, and magically has never had any blisters since. Including a few half marathons and a full.

I recommend find a good local running store that allows you to buy and return shoes if needed, make a friend there who's willing to help you on your search, and get to work. Good luck!