Just wondering what most people wear for the run. I had never really thought of racing flats because of the decreased cushioning. What are people using?
I’m not a runner at all. I run about 3-6 miles per week, except leading up to an IM where I run only once per week and its a long one, up to 24 miles.
I ran both my IM marathons in racing flats.
I’ll use Asics DS which are a pretty good medium between 2000 series and Kayano’s. Cushioning’s nice but when you’re that tired I reckon the weight counts. Given the choice I’d run in lighter shoes all the time but I have to do most of my running on the pavements and only trade up as a self preservation exercise.
you wil likely get a more seasoned/reasoned response, but I can be a sample of one, with a one time experience. Just raced my first IM (Austria) in a pair of Mizuno Wave Spacers. While not a small guy, I am lucky enough (from what I am told) to have good biomechanics and to not need a lot of support/cushioning/stability. My LRS (owned by a guy who races a lot of ultras and has done an IM) and I talked about what to wear a lot, and his recommendation was (at least for me given the above circumstances) to try these Mizunos. He figured that the race would hurt regardless of the shoe, and (again, because of my stride) the flat would only marginally add to any pain, and be quite a bit lighter over that distance.
In retrospect, I think (for me) it was absolutely the right call, as by the end I was thinking about how great it would have felt to ahve even a couple ounces less to lift up with each step. A trainer would have (again, in my instance) only exacerbated this situation. I ended up with a run time (and race time) that I was very happy with, and don’t think there is or was added discomfort from the shoes.
Good luck
Wear flats. Barefoot is better. 
I always go as light as possible – flats, no socks. I’ve run in Nike Ekidens the last four IMs, and will be running in a crazy-light pair of Brooks T4s in LP next week.
FYI, I’m median ht/wt (5’9", 160lbs) and run 50-55mi/wk for about half the year (~40/wk the other half). My marathon splits for 13 of my 14 IMs have all been between 3:06 & 3:20.
I’d run barefoot if they’d let me! 
-Mike
BUmp
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What was your marathon times in both of those? Because I find racing flats make excellent walking shoes.
Until I ran out of gas on each marathon I was holding 10 minute miles. Then I used the racing flats as walking shoes : )
I’ve recently found out that I burn way more calories per hour then I thought. Consequently I ran out of steam in my IM’s. NEXT TIME ----now I know----no more running out of gas for this old guy!!
I saw a dude running barefoot at Coeur d’Alene. I couldn’t imagine…
That’s f’ing hardcore.
asics ds trainer - not a racing flat but a pretty lightweight trainer. i’ve worn them for 3 im’s with no problems.
I bought new shoes at the only running shop around last week. We talked, and they recommended the Ascis 2100s, which I was already running in. They said that anything lighter was only for races up to 10k, and that anything longer would destroy your feet. I had been thinking that a lighter pair for the race would be good. How much do you run, and do you ever run in heavier shoes? If it matters, I’m a 5’10", 153 pound slight pronator.
-Colin
I wear Mizuno Wave Rider 8s to train in (and have worn prior iterations of them for 3 or 4 years). prior to the Wave Spacer as a racing shoe, I wore the Brooks T3 for racing. I wore those up to half marathon distance, and the guys at my running shop thought I was crazy for that. I loved the shoe. Would have bought more, but they discontinued it, and the replacement is heinous looking (to me).
Historically, I ran on average about 15-25 miles a week, but in the IM training, I was doing anywhere from 25-low 40s per week.
Keeping in mind that your running shoe guys know a lot more than me, I find it interesting that they say you will destroy your feet. If they told you that you will feel beat up and your knees will hurt, I would be OK with that, but isn’t the perception on this board that runners need to run with less shoe to strengthen their feet/ankles?
I’m not sure if what works for a stud like Mike Llerendi will work for the rest of us, but I have tried both flats and training shoes and in general, I was faster in flats. My Ironman run times are usually in the 3:40 to 4:05 range, but I also have a 5:25 (wearing lightweight trainers) in my last blowup-man performance.
“isn’t the perception on this board that runners need to run with less shoe to strengthen their feet/ankles?”
My experience/perception, running exclusively in a shoe that is more diminutive than a trainer, is that the feet and muscles surrounding the ankle are what take the beating - meaning, they get pretty tired when switching over. So, yes, I agree with that statement. However, there are plenty of people, however with better credentials than me who think this type of thing is detrimental for most people.
As far as the knees go, mine feel fine. They start to get achy when I run in more cushioned shoes.
Wear flats. Barefoot is better.
- reference “Athletes guide Ironman Lake Placid page 9”
What does it say? No barefoot?
I don’t compete in oversold, overhyped and overpriced IMNA races anyways.
Sorry, It didn’t post properly previously… Take #2 Shoes and covered torsos are required on the bike and run course.
I recently bought a pair of NB flats. I would love to use them at IMLP, but have only used them for a couple track sessions and a couple 10k races. They felt fine, but haven’t tried them on a long run, and it is too late now. For those of you that use flats for IMs, do you use them for your long runs in training?
I have not done an IM marathon, but have done several regular ones and run under 3 hours.
Superlight racing flats are not worth the added pounding on your body to save at best 1 or 2 minutes in a race that is probably going to take you 10 hours or more to finish. The thumbrule for shoes is 1 second per ounce per mile.
Go with a lightweight trainer or a more substantial racing shoe (8 - 9 oz) range. The extra 2 ounces for a real lightweight racer isn’t worth it.