OrthoMan wrote:
I just picked up my new pair of orthotics and the base material is cork. Every other pair I've had was made of a synthetic material. The grain of the cork is very fine and they appear as if they are made of brown paper.
Does anyone have experience with cork orthotics for running? I'm mainly concerned about them getting wet while running in the rain as well as absorbing moisture from sweat. I placed a drop of water on the bottom surface and it was absorbed immediately. I can imagine them never drying out completely and growing mold.
I have had a set of cork orthotics for 17 years... still use them in my training shoes. I got them in college when I competed as a decathlete, and continued to train as a hobby level sprinter and jumper after school.
They have been soaking wet countless times, both from sweat, and rainy practices, etc.
The only thing that has happened to them, is the front half (ball of foot, toe box area) has been cut off. That was the area that wore out, and was only a thin rubber mold. Essentially now, my orthotics are half shoe arch supports. If I wear a flat shoe without them, my feet do get sore.
These orthotics have been amazing! Hope your experience is as good as mine has been!