Are racing flats OK for a half marathon? I’m thinking of wearing my Saucony A2s for an upcoming half marathon. Anyone had any luck – or bad experience – wearing flats at the distance?
I believe it depends on how you run in them. I’ve heard flats are not
appropriate for longer distances or heavier runners, but I’m over 200lbs
and I’ve worn them for marathons. If you aren’t running with the right
form, however, weight and distance will probably make more difference.
Depends. What is the longest you have ran in flats so far and what time do you expect to run in the race?
If you train in neutral shoes, plan on running a quick race and have some longer (60min) runs in on the flats already, then try it. If you have support issues or run in a heavily cushoned trainer and have never run long in flats, or are planning on running a 2 hr+ half, then don’t bother.
I ran a 1:40 half in flats after training in neutral shoes with a few 45 min runs in the flats and my feet felt horrible by mile 8. 2 months prior I ran 6 min faster in my heavy trainers and had happy feet at the end. The 6 minutes wasn’t only due to pissed off feet, but that was a big part of it.
Should have said I’m 6-0, 165 pounds and that I’m hoping for 1:30. I’ve run 10Ks with no problems but haven’t worn them at all during training.
I’m 6 1 and 165 pounds and run a 1:30-1:33 for an open half–I have used both the A2s and Fasttwich 3s with no problem–they are not the most minimalist shoes–My guess is that you would be fine if you’ve raced a 10k in them and didn;t have any issues…
Should have said I’m 6-0, 165 pounds and that I’m hoping for 1:30. I’ve run 10Ks with no problems but haven’t worn them at all during training.
With that, you should be fine. There isn’t much diff between a hard 10K and 1/2 mary and if you are under 1:30. Depends a lot on your running mechanics though.
I rock gel hyper speed 3 --not exactly ‘flats’ but a pretty lightweight shoe if im not mistaken. Feel great but oddly in my penultimate run before this weekends half I blistered between 1-2nd metatarsal… seems ok now but was pretty painful!
im 5’10" 150 and i ran a 25k in the sacucony fastwitch 3 which are 1 oz heavier than your shoes but also i ran 2.4 more miles(ran a 1:43, so around 1:30 half). i had no problems with them and are very happy i used them
plan to use them again for this years river bank run
I am 6’4’’ 170lbs and run 1:18 Half mary and use Hyperspeeds for all training runs and races.
I train in Fastwitch 3’s - currently averaging 70-80 a week with no problems at all. Ran the Houston marathon in a little under 3 several weeks ago in them with no issues. 5’11" 165.
Should have said I’m 6-0, 165 pounds and that I’m hoping for 1:30. I’ve run 10Ks with no problems but haven’t worn them at all during training.
I am also 6-0 and 165 pounds. I’ve run marathons in flats. It’s not the weight. It’s how you run.
Practice some tempo runs with them. Get used to them over longer distances.