I think you'd be hard-pressed to find any serious and/or elite runners who still subscribe to this fad ideology. I'm sure there are a good amount of hobbyjoggers and ultrarunners who are into it though.
I still see some allergic-to-podium-finishes wingnuts padding around in VFFs. About as many as I see in Newtons these days.
It is interesting that the painfully thin phase was followed fairly closely by the clown shoe phase. Pendulums often swing, of course, but perhaps not normally to record limits on both sides, so quickly.
I still see some allergic-to-podium-finishes wingnuts padding around in VFFs. About as many as I see in Newtons these days.
It is interesting that the painfully thin phase was followed fairly closely by the clown shoe phase. Pendulums often swing, of course, but perhaps not normally to record limits on both sides, so quickly.
And as someone who's always liked the feel of running in a thin racing flat (but was well aware of the punishment), it's annoying that the bouncier foams have almost entirely been put into very thick midsoles. It shouldn't be nearly impossible to find a fairly thin racing flat with bouncy foam.
It is interesting that the painfully thin phase was followed fairly closely by the clown shoe phase. Pendulums often swing, of course, but perhaps not normally to record limits on both sides, so quickly.
And as someone who's always liked the feel of running in a thin racing flat (but was well aware of the punishment), it's annoying that the bouncier foams have almost entirely been put into very thick midsoles. It shouldn't be nearly impossible to find a fairly thin racing flat with bouncy foam.
I've noticed a lot of new-ish runners wearing Altras lately. Maybe shoe stores are pushing them? I never used to see them outside trails.
I think Altras are pretty much all that's left for people wanting less shoe.
Altra isn’t and never really was a minimalist option. Zero drop does not mean minimal. As sh!tree as the escalante racer is, it’s still more cushioned than old school ( pre 2017) racers.
I think Altras are pretty much all that's left for people wanting less shoe.
Altra isn’t and never really was a minimalist option. Zero drop does not mean minimal. As sh!tree as the escalante racer is, it’s still more cushioned than old school ( pre 2017) racers.
I agree. But they seem closer to minimalist shoes than anything else I've seen on the market now. Cross country racing flats might be the other option but the selection there is much smaller than it once was.
I have a friend who is a D2 runner with the following PR's (rounded to the nearest 5 seconds):
a) 14:15 5000m
b) 30:20 10000m
I'm not sure if Altras count as minimalist shoes but he refuses to wear any other brand for his daily trainer. Also wears extremely minimalist shoes like Xeros when not running. He refused to wear any of the vaporfly shoes, but he races in the dragonfly spikes though FWIW.
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