Sneakers in Kenya

Not many bare feet to be seen in this video from 2000 about the Kenyan running industry. The video's title? Born to Run - Kenya.

Fila Skeletoes Amp and Skeletoes Voltage First Impressions

Hilarious:

"What do you think? Am I being too harsh?"

Not harsh enough.  It's the Vibram/Nike Free.  What a horror.

"Minimalist Shoes Are Not Just For Running"

That's for sure.  Nice to see continuing positive coverage in the main-stream media, this time the Washington Post:

"...It was Morton’s neuroma, an excruciating nerve condition, that had stopped Susan-Marie Stedman of Burtonsville in her tracks. The 52-year-old marine biologist couldn’t manage to hike without hurting, no matter what shoes she’d tried. Until she bought Vibram FiveFingers a year ago.


Now Stedman can’t imagine wearing anything other than her “freaky feet,” her pet name for the odd-looking (some might even say ugly) shoes. She owns three pairs, which she wears when she’s stretching, on the elliptical and even hang-gliding. “Once you’ve made the commitment to this type of footwear, you can’t go back,” she says. “Disco dancing and bike riding are the two things I won’t do in them now.”..."

Dr. Cucuzzella also gets a mention:

"...The trend sounds smart to Mark Cucuzzella, a 44-year-old physician in Sheperdstown, W.Va., who’s become one of the leading proponents of barefoot-style living. “Who can run in Vibram FiveFingers off the bat? Not many people,” says Cucuzzella, who spent years preparing his feet for the switch from traditional shoes to minimalist ones for running. “But you can start walking in a lower drop shoe immediately. Walking is the perfect transition.”..."

And no obligatory ding-bat podiatrist quote...

Adidas Adipure "Toe-shoe"!

All Day I Dream About Toe-shoes

See here.

From the picture provided, they look like a Vibram Five-Fingers knock-off.  I guess Adidas figured they shouldn't let Fila have all the fun.

I'm kind of disappointed by this, actually.  I think that more competition to the Merrell Barefoot line will do a better job of spreading barefoot-style footwear.  Vibrams, while I love them, will always be a niche product to some extent.

Thanks to B4refooter.

P.S. Zero-drop has more info, including pricing.

P.P.S. Runblogger also has pics, including a red-and-black model that's not bad looking.

P.P.P.S.  Here's the full AP story that everyone excerpted, via Forbes. 

P.P.P.P.S. Birthday Shoes has the best post, as usual, with tons of pictures.

P.P.P.P.P.S. Gizmodo has a brief review.  Thanks to Andrew.  OK, enough of this...



Vibram FiveFingers SeeYa

 P.P.P.P.P.P.S. Alright, one more thought.  These remind me more than anything of the Vibram SeeYa, which I'm really looking forward to.  The sole, from the pictures in the links above, appears very similar, but they're missing the strap.  That strap is pretty key for running down hills, and I think the lack of a strap or lacing system relegates these shoes to the gym or Florida.  Flat places, in other words.

But they'll introduce a whole new slice of the planet to the notion of barefoot-style running, and that's all good.

"Vibram (FiveFingers) Sues Fila (Skele-Toes) for Patent Infringement"

Follow the link to Birthday Shoes for the whole story.  This is not particularly surprising, IMHO.

Vibram to Fila

The Next Ugly Shoe Trend

Cool, we're trendy.  Too funny.

Fila Skele-toes Review

At Birthday Shoes.  These sound like a really nice option, although I'm happy with my (many pairs of) Vibrams.

And while Justin notes that the Filas aren't intended for running, neither were the Vibrams...

Oh, and yes, Chris McDougall broke both pinky-toes running in Vibrams, as have I.  The conjoined 4th and 5th toe pocket is a good idea.  Plus getting the pinky toe in it's pocket is generally what gives most people the biggest problem with they first get a pair.

Fila Skeletoes

Wow.  The first legit Vibram FiveFingers knock-off.  From what Justin says, it sounds like they worked around the Vibram patent.  Good for them.  Competition is good for all of us, even if Vibram would like to continue to have an exclusive.

Combining the 4th and 5th toes is a really interesting approach, IMHO.

P.S. Reviewed.