The Vibram FiveFingers Spyridon MR (the MR is short for mud run) is not your typical running shoe. It doesn’t look or act like a typical running shoe, and it turns out that’s not such a bad thing. With aggressive all-terrain tread and a glove like fit, this “shoe” is more like a mud glove for your feet. The unique combination of traction, responsiveness, feather weight, and unparalleled water drainage, this shoe is perfect for speeding through your next mud or trail run. And best of all, it will make you feel like a kid again doing it.
For foot protection, Vibram utilizes what they call their 3D cocoon material, which is embedded into the outsole. It is designed to disperse the force of impact across the foot; so if you’re hitting the edge of a rock, you don’t feel the sharpness of it. That being said, this doesn’t mean that you won’t feel it, and it can lead to your foot taking a beating.
Vibram shoes are designed to keep you in touch with the running surface in a way that most of us are completely unused to. The average trail shoe is designed specifically to make it so you don’t feel the rocks and tree roots you’re running on. Vibram wants you to stay in touch with all of these things, but take out the risk of injury associated with barefoot running.
I won’t beat around the bush; it takes some getting used to. The first time I used them on a hard packed trail with stones, my feet were swollen and painful for the rest of the day. But if you give yourself enough time in them, your feet toughen up enough to negate this drawback.
Read more – Spotter Up
(featured image courtesy of spotterup.com)