They were supposed to send me a trial pair, not sure what happened as I never got them.

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Pete Larson’s Web Links:
-My book: Tread Lightly: http://ow.ly/bdUO0
-Blog: https://runblogger.com
-Twitter: http://twitter.com/Runblogger
-Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Runbl…
-Discussion Forum: https://runblogger.com/forum

I would love to know if they are worth the additional organization in the sock drawer.

“The arch is designed to work like a leaf spring… The foot flattens during absorption phase, then the plantar fascia elongates and loads like a bowstring, which helps in propulsion during toe-off.” – Charlie Johnson, former head Biomechanist (thepfsolution.com/blog/flex)

To the best of my understanding, this a major reason why many people love to run barefoot in the grass, because it helps the foot use that biomechanical action most efficiently and effectively.

Quick Specs
Height: 4mm Sole, 8mm Midsole, 3mm Insole
Insole: Supposedly 3mm, but seemed thinner, and definitely cheap foam.
Cushioning: 6-7 of 10

Weight: Lightweight, 6.5oz, size 8.5
Anatomical Fit: Awesome.
Toebox Split Area: Stretchy Walls = Comfort, potentially slippage
Strike Zone Options: Forefoot Only.
Breathability: Epic.
Seams: Heat-welded yielding smooth inner

Cons: Roll from forefoot to toe-off was definitely different because of the 4mm lug-like rubber sole that is spread out across the forefoot. Might make another comment about this once I have more time in them.

Anatomical Fit: Awesome. (runs slightly large in length and height of toebox) I plan on adding my own 4mm insole to take up a little more room and add cushioning.
Many other shoes claim anatomical fit, but when you view the outline on sites with shoefitr technology, you can clearly see that the big toe area is curved in prematurely to make the shoe “look right.” From all of the shoes I’ve seen, this stands true for every major brand out there except Altra (although please forgive me if I left a brand out).

Toebox Stretch: the appearance is somewhat deceiving, because the walls of the toe box where the split occurs are a spandex-like material that stretches nicely. There is a bit of discomfort that can occur when making sharper turns to the inside foot’s toes 2-5 as they slide against the spandex material stretching it outwards, giving one the feeling that they’ve lost some traction.

Strike Zone Options: these are definitely forefoot strikers only. I tried midfoot and heel striking in them with terrible results. The midsole is off the ground in the midfoot area, creating pain when using midfoot stirke. Heel striking was semi-difficult with zero-drop, and the hard landing was unfortunately memorable.

Question for Pete: what other shoes achieve the same effect as these that have actual cushioning? B2R*? Even though I forefoot strike, cushioning for me is crucial because I have bad knees from pole vaulting.

B2R* = For others unfamiliar with Born2Run, it is very similar, but with less stack height and a flat landing surface.

Gregor Ruthven, Designer
thepfsolution.com

Thanks for the review! Yes, BTR are the shoes that jump to mind tat combine cushion and a split toe. Zen also uses a split toe, but have not tried them, SMAAT is another small brand that has a split toe, but again have not tried them. They may ave cushion.
Sent from my iPad

Just a little :)

—-
Pete Larson’s Web Links:
-My book: Tread Lightly: http://ow.ly/bdUO0
-Blog: https://runblogger.com
-Twitter: http://twitter.com/Runblogger
-Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Runbl…
-Discussion Forum: https://runblogger.com/forum

In all seriousness though, I do have some genuine interest in the split toe/tabi design. Growing up where I did, I pretty much split my time running around as a kid between being barefoot and wearing “Asian-style” indigenous thong sandals that physically separate the big toe from the rest of the toes, so I wonder if these shoes will “feel familiar” whilst being infinitely more suitable for running.

If they make a ninja turtle model, I’m game.

Don’t tell me your inner ten year-old isn’t even at least a little excited with the idea of running in “ninja shoes” :D

I had never heard of SMAAT until this post.