Extra supportive shoes gain traction
Just a few years after minimalist running caught on in a big way, some athletes are taking the opposite approach: buying extra cushy running shoes.…
Shoes such New Balance Fresh Foam 980 (left) and the Hoka One Mafate Speed are the new generation of extra cusioned running shoes. (Photos: NewBalance.com & Road Runner Sports)
Just a few years after minimalist running caught on in a big way, some athletes are taking the opposite approach: buying extra cushy running shoes.
Minimalist running, or barefoot running, was touted as a way to avoid injury and run the natural way. It has even been called Paleo running, a reference to our Paleolithic ancestors and their shoeless means of travel.
However, sales of barefoot shoes peaked in 2012 and then began dropping precipitously after mixed reports on injury prevention and, more recently, a significant lawsuit against Vibram for its FiveFingers shoes. Now the pendulum has swung far in the other direction, with some runners opting for heavily cushioned shoes, called the float, maximal, or full support models.
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The Fall of Minimalist Running
According to The Wall Street Journal, sales of minimalist running shoes are down by a whopping 47 percent this year.
A key factor behind that is that the shoes simply didnt live up to the hype about injury prevention. Some argue that thats as much the fault of running companies as it is the runners themselves, many of whom jumped on the barefoot bandwagon without considering their own biomechanical needs.
TThe research on barefoot running seems inconclusive; shoemaker Vibram has set aside refund money for those who purchased FiveFingers shoes. The five finger shoes represent a sharp contrast from the new trend of extra supportive running shoes. (www.vibramfivefingers.com)
Numerous surveys showed that despite widely circulated claims, both by shoe makers and athletes like Born to Run author Christopher McDougall, barefoot style shoes did not reduce injuries.
This was the crux of the lawsuit against Vibram, since the company claimed that wearing its FiveFingers shoes improves posture and foot health, reduces risk of injury, strengthens muscles in feet and lower legs and promotes spine alignment.
The plaintiff claimed false advertising, and Vibram was eventually forced to pay refunds to some customers.
One of the reasons minimalist shoes didnt reduce injuries, according to a study published in the journal of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, was that people didnt change their running style upon lacing up their new kicks.
Companies like Vibram claimed that without all of that extra cushioning, your stride would naturally shorten and youd tend to land on your mid-food instead of your heel, reducing the incidence of things like plantar fasciitis. That didnt happen for a lot of runners, which may have contributed to people reporting increased shin splints, foot pain and stress fractures.
Injury Prevention, Round Two
Ironically, one of the major selling points given for new maximal shoes is also their ability to prevent injury.
Maximal shoes, while making no claim to be the natural way, are advertised as ideal for runners who are dissatisfied with minimalist shoes or who dont have the foot strength to use that type of shoe. According to Competitor, maximal running shoes may:
– Reduce the impact on your heel
– Provide a soft, comfortable ride as you run
– Reduce the recovery time needed after a long run
– Give you increased energy return by way of a sizable cushion on the shoes sole
Additionally, because of new cushioning materials and technology, maximal shoes arent the heavy clunkers they would have been in the past, allowing athletes to use bigger shoes without having to put up with a lot of added weight.
Shoe Options
Companies from Hoka to Altra Zero Drop to Vibram are joining the maximal shoe movement.
The Hoka One One Bondi 3 shoes, with a 33mm heel height, are currently leading the pack. With a pyramid shapemeaning that the shoes sole is wider than the footbedthey may look funny, but Hoka claims that the design means fewer ankle rolls and more long runs sans foot pain.
Altra Zero Drop is also in the mix, with three different float models. Like some minimalist models, these shoes maintain a constant height between heel and toe, which is meant to aid runners in avoiding heel striking. Their Olympus shoe has the highest heel height, at 36mm, of almost any maximal shoe.
Brooks and New Balance are making a bid into the market, as well, with the Transcend and Fresh Foam, respectively. According to The Wall Street Journal, even Vibram is adjusting its footwear by introducing a slightly more cushioned version of FiveFingers.
So Which Shoe Is For Me?
The moral of the story may be that jumping at a trendsimply because its a trendis probably the wrong way to approach running.
Neither maximal nor minimalist running shoes are wrong: instead, theyre designed for a specific type of foot and runner. Knowing how you run, including whether you tend to heel strike or pronate, is a better guide to choosing a running shoe than is following the crowd.
While theres plenty to be learned from both the minimalist and maximal styles, temper that knowledge with an individualized assessment from a running specialist or podiatrist to ensure that youre getting a shoe that works for you.
