As a runner, the first thing you think about is the shoe you will be running in. Be it training on a treadmill, running a trail or running a timed marathon.
With this rise in running culture comes the rise of the bright neon super shoes by none other than our favorite brand (the swoosh.)
The construction of these shoes is a combination of foam, fluid chambers, carbon plates that are “proven” to give you a boost of up to 4% on your running efficiency.
Now while these shoes may actually do what they claim, there is a deeper understanding required.
A lot of international athletics bodies consider these kinds of shoes a kind of “mechanical doping”.
World Athletics recently announced a ban on stack heights of over 40mm and more than one embedded plate, as well as ruling that the shoes elite athletes wear for races must have been available to buy on the open market for four months.
While these shoes may enhance your performance, they are detrimental to your long term foot health and running gait as research suggests runners change their movement pattern with cushioned and supportive shoes.
What does this have to do with Zen Barefoot, though?
We are making shoes that have none of these qualities. We actually pride ourselves on removing all “super” engineering that goes into making a shoe.
Most of these running shoes cost a fortune and don’t even last more than 3-4 races anyway. (160 kms at max.)
A runner’s performance is built on a foundation of health - most importantly the foot which literally upholds the entire body and creates the power to propel us forward on our runs. Our Achilles tendon, our arch muscles are the natural carbon plate and cushion that we need to run.
Millions of years of natural R&D has brought us to this intricate design of the foot with toes that can splay, muscles that contract a certain way for the best performance. Anything that tries to replace it takes more than it gives in the long term.
There are multiple studies that show how wearing cushioned shoes for a long duration have become a cause of injury for most athletes.
So if you are considering buying shoes that will suck your bank account dry just to get that 4% additional boost, know that it won’t last long and that it will lead to a higher chance of injury down the line.
We are making shoes, as little as required to keep you safe from the hazards of the world but nothing about our shoes will “give” you more. It is time you trust in your natural ability, train your muscles, work on the foundation to be the athlete you want to be.