I was happy running sockless in Endorphin Pro. I'm running in Hoka Carbon X2 right now and the insole is really thin and sharp on the edges. It did not bother me in training when I could take time to fiddle with the shoe, but by the time I finished my first race my feet were bleeding. I told the owner of the shoe store about it and he had a box of insoles in the back. He fished out a pair that fit and now I'm happy with them.

One thing I did not like about the Endorphin pro was that there was very little to grab on the back of the shoe. Made it hard to pull on in a rush with wet feet.

Also think about the tongue, everyone seems to be moving to very thin tongue material, make sure you can cram your sticky foot in without rolling up the tongue or having it slide too far down.

I'll second the Endorphin Pro (I run in the 2, haven't tried the 3 yet) - no issues sockless. When I went to the shoe store the Metaspeed uppers felt like they had many more seams which could be uncomfortable and that was a significant factor in my choosing the Endorphins. Someone who actually runs in them can probably give you better feedback on whether that is actually the case.

I have been running sockless since the 80s (including a couple of IMs :-)). The Nike VF are very comfortable for me easily through a 10k.

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David
* Ironman for Life! (Blog) * IM Everyday Hero Video * Daggett Shuler Law *
Disclaimer: I have personal and professional relationships with many athletes, vendors, and organizations in the triathlon world.

I can't speak for all shoes, but the Alphaflys are 100% no go for sockless. The upper is a single layer of what seems like a knitted nylon type material that is quite rough and sharply edged.

I have the adidas pro, the whole saucony endorphin line incl. the elite, the metaspeed sky and sky+, the adidas prime x, the vaporfly (the previous), the new balance as well and can run up to the marathon in all of them sockless. Except for the original metaspeed sky, that rubs at the back of the achilles due to that collar design but that was solved with the metaspeed sky+

The saucony elite being the most comfortable :-)

Jeroen

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Owner at TRIPRO, The Netherlands

Thank you, Jeroen. In my case Vaporfly 2 gave me blisters on my achilles, there was no heel lock and the back of the foot was slipping (even though I should have gone 1/2-1 size larger due to length and width).

Pity we couldn’t find time for a bike fit this summer in the Netherlands :) I ended up getting a Speed Concept in Dubai that I am happy with.

Thank you all for the replies. Sounds like the Alphafly is perhaps most problematic (for some people even wearing socks), the Endorphin Pro less so.

The Vaporfly is a tricky one - some people can run sockless in it, some can’t. Despite the plasticky non stretching upper in the VF2, my own issue was with the heel, not the forefoot. Not sure what the VF3 heel slippage would be like, haven’t been able to find it in my size to try in a store so far.

Ah, that was you :-). Cool, well, nothing wrong with a Speed Concept ;-)

If you are prone to heel blisters the Endorphin Elite is very soft on the skin, maybe a bit trickier to put on but since I'm doing only MD and LD that 'loss of time' doesn't matter since the comfort and energy return is fantastic

Jeroen

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Owner at TRIPRO, The Netherlands

Also support the Endorphin pro sockless.

I've had no issues either in the Hoka Rocket X2 for shorter races, other than them being harder to put on.

Vaporfly/Alphalfy have been no goes for me in regards to sockless. The Vaporfly is maybe my favorite plated shoe but the uppers tear my feet up. I raced in the Alphafly one season and had to use KT Tape in appropriate spots to wear them sockless. Nikes in my experience have great shoes in terms of the soles but the uppers are terrible, with sockless in play.

Metapeed are fine sockless for me. Not my favorite plated shoe but a solid shoe to use in my training shoe rotation.

Endorphin Pro is one of my favorite shoes and currently use them as training shoe. Raced in the Pro 3 version last year. Zero issues sockless and of the super shoes, one of the best uppers if not the best.

Started racinng in the Saucony Endorphin Elites and I get a bit of rub on the inner part of my ankle. I may have to use some KT Tape on that spot for something 10K or longer if I want to go sockless and not develop a more serious cut/blister.

That's me though, your mileage may vary as we're all a bit different.

Thank you. Very helpful.