The idea intrigues me. Bite makes a running sandal, Teva did. Have any of your guys ever actually run in these? The idea has some merit maybe.
I’d be intersted to hear your experiences.
I had a pair of handmade leather sandals purchased from a San Antonio crafter. They were made by a guy who claimed to have been in the early development of Teva, left over differences with mr Teva. He had run a marathon in a pair of his. I wore those day in day out weather permitting for the next three years. Used to run in them occasionally, worked as good as a racing flat. Wish I could remember the name, most comfortable pair of shoes I have ever owned.
I haven’t run in sandals before, but I tried doing hiking before. I tried some of the Teva ones for a backpacking trip.
They were super comfy, and my feet didn’t sweat as much, overall I sweat more then the average highland yak vacationing in Bermuda.
My only problem with them was all the stuff that got in them. I seemed to have rocks, grass, dirt, all kinds of stuff gather between my foot and the sandal. Probable because that is where my feet were sweating. Could be painful at time.
I found I had to stop more often to “brush them off” then I did with regular old hiking shoes/boots. I would imaging running would have the same problem
-bcreager
I used to have a pair of Nike offroad sandles but I found the strapping systems crucial. My feet are quite fussy and I slipped around too much. From talking to my dad who leads expeditions across some far out places for charity walks he says it came down to foot type, terrain, and the strapping system relative to the foot type.
Socks? no socks? blisters? straps rub you raw?
no socks
no blisters
straps didn’t rub raw
straps + dirt did rub raw
oh, and make sure you use sunscreen…I got one of the worse sunburns ever cause I didn’t think to put some on.
-bcreager
Hate to hijack the thread…I’ll make it short
The Limar TT hemet----what sizes do they run —I’ll be calling later today to order a carbon one.
Thanks
I had no socks although I guess it would make sense. Strap material (and surface area) is important.
Why the curiosity ?
don’t run in them a lot, but backpack/hike/canoe, an occasional jog of 1-2 miles. I’ve used Tevas and a S.African imitation of the Tevas.
my experience is all of them are OK as long as they are dry, no significant chafing/blistering, but once wet, they eat my feet… never mind blisters, get holes in the flesh… so I always wear socks with them if there’s any chance of wetness.
I’m trying a pair of Ecco sandals now, with neoprene lining around all the straps, and they seem a lot less abrasive. Haven’t run in them yet, though.
One of the things I’ve noticed at Ironman distance and at NIce was that my shoes and socks get soaked with water, perspiration and pee. By the time I get to 16 miles they are heavy and gross.
I’ve often wondered if some type of an “open shoe” or running sandal with no socks would facilitate dryer feet (at least less soden) and lighter footwear.
I wager the weight of my shoes goes up 30% by the end of Ironman due to soaking wet socks and shoes. That is rough late in the game.
Anyway, just thinking out loud. I was hoping for a post that said something like, “Oh, I have run four marathon on them and recommend them…” *That *I haven’r heard from anyone. I note there is a new marathon sandal record at just under three hours.
I used to (actually still do) have a pair of the old-school Alps. We preferred them for river rafting trips, because Teva’s velcro would not hold together in a current. Alps used little plastic buckles and clips to secure the sandle to your feet.
Tom,
I have a buddy that uses these as his running/recreation shoe. He swears by them. I don’t know what kind of cushioning they offer, but I know that you can find them at REI and Moosejaw to try on a pair. I know that I cannot think of anything worse than running 26 miles with two soakers full of pee! yikes!
http://www.salomonoutdoor.com/us/overview.aspx?gen=1&seg=3&act=7&gam=0&ori=1&pro=0
I used those in the 2001 Raid Gauloises in Vietnam. They were good.
Tom
I had a pair years ago - well over a decade - can;t remember what brand - bought them in a TJMaxx for like $15 - I loved those things. They took some getting used to - and your foot needed to toughenup a bit - but after that they were great.
I think this is avery personal thing - some folks will like them - most will hate them.
I wish I knew where to find such running shose again because your ideas about using them in IM make a lot of scense to me.
rob
Tom:
I’m sending you a PM, so that you can e-mail a friend of mine. He’s the record holder in Bite sandals and runs a lot of marathons.
Richard
I made my own. Mutilated some older model Ascics racing flats that didn’t have a seamless upper. I cut out all the netting material on top and the sides and even removed the tongue (changed out laces and used a more comfy lacing pattern). This way I have a last that is built for running, with the toes protected and good ventilation. Very comfy and they don’t look “dorky”, like some of the other “outdoor sandals”.
I run in them quite often and have even raced in them.
The Teva Road Wraptor and Trail Wraptors (their running sandals) weren’t bad but they definetely didn’t hold a candle to a good running shoe. One main problem was the lack of a real heel cup. Funny problem but the rear strap either fit or it didn’t and if it didn’t fit your heel strike was really sloppy and the sandal just kind of slapped the ground as you hit. Transition was okay, but not all that smooth. Quick toe off as they were pretty stiff in the forefoot, on some of the women’s models I couldn’t even flex the forefoot by hand… A little overbuilt there. They were great sandals for wearing around, just not for running… The trail versions were cool but all the feedback I heard (never used them) was that tons of crap got stuck under the straps and that a covered toe box and big toe bumpers are wonderful things that the sandals don’t have.
Our store tried the Bites to no success. They were okay, but the quality never seemed that great and the fit was pretty sloppy. This was last years model line though so maybe they’ve improved. They had some great concepts, just didn’t quite bring it home.
Tom, I found the sandals I mentioned. The toe thing takes getting used to, but they get more comfortable all the time. I will second some of the other posters on no blister except when wet and dirty. The dirt stcks to the wet and acts like sandpaper. The toe thing is one of the things that make these sandals good to run in. They don’t flop and you don’t notice the lack of heel cup as much.
very low res pic.
I used to (actually still do) have a pair of the old-school Alps. We preferred them for river rafting trips, because Teva’s velcro would not hold together in a current. Alps used little plastic buckles and clips to secure the sandle to your feet.
that was my experience too, I won’t buy Tevas again, since they don’t work in whitewater. There are some high-end Tevas with clips/buckles rather than velcro, but after 2 bad Teva experiences, I don’t buy them. The nastier one: flipped in a rapid, didn’t make my roll, the sandal came off, went after it instead of the canoe, lost both and had to hike/swim a mile downstream, barefoot, to retrieve the canoe.
I’ll probably try Keen sandals next. After the tsunami, they took out an ad saying they will spend their ad budget on rebuilding the impacted areas, so you won’t see them advertised much, but they look good.
I have a pair of Keens and they are excellent.