xero prio

I didn't make that link to that random site...

I’ve put a few hundred miles on a couple of pairs

First pair lasted about 4 months (800 Miles ish?) they eventually, possibly due to running throughout the wet English winter. Sole was still good.

The warranty for 5000 Miles is for the sole on the sandals, I don’t think it is for the shoes

I think the shoes are very well made and my current pair looks nearly perfect after 300+ miles

I’m not a shill, just a university kid who wants to get the most from his money. I’m torn between these and vibrams for my favourite shoes. Both very good quality. These are a bit more sturdy feeling though

Injury waiting to happen

Before seriously considering these, I suggest doing some reseach

I own a pair. They are sold in a limited number of brick and mortar locations (check the website). Most running stores sell at least a version of a zero drop shoe, which would give you an idea of feel/what they're like.

I like the shoes for trail running, but it's definitely an adjustment. The first time out, I felt great a wore them for a twelve mile run. HUGE mistake. My calves were fried for several days after that. I prefer more cushioned shoes on the roads.

I love the Prio. It's my go-to shoe.

I'm 9 months into my pair. This is primary running AND gym shoe. I sometimes wear this as a general walking shoe too, usually when I am on vacation, because it tends to keep my feet very happy when I'm walking and standing for an entire day, compared to any other shoe I have worn in that scenario (about equal to my experience with Toms in that context). I am almost always very comfortable in the Prio. The exception would be when I choose to forgo socks and my feet get wet with miles of running to go; that's when I get a few blisties. Oh, and stepping on certain rocks is not fun in these.

I personally wouldn't consider the Prio an "all-terrain" solution. I prefer trail running, although I run a lot of paved path/road too, and some treadmill (sacrilege!) for hills, since I don't have easy access to as much of those outdoors as I'd like. I feel like the Prio is absolutely great, until you get to anything more technical/rough than a moderate unpaved trail. I don't want to be stepping on many stones (of say 1-2" diameter) in my Prios, or certain roots, ouch. I'm also flat footed, though. I hesitate to complain about their performance on wet and muddy surfaces, because there is no magic solution to that. In my experience, you can have shoes that are aggressively lugged and still struggle in such conditions. I think at that point it's more about your stride, cadence, balance, and the choice of where you place your foot. Anyway, my inclination is to suggest more of a trail-specific shoes for trails. On the traditional/maximal end, I own a pair of Brooks Caldera 2. On the other end, I own the Merrel Trail Glove 4. Why the range? I did all my running in traditional running shoes until the Prio. Now I prefer more minimalist shoes, but as my mileage creeps up, I am contemplating mixing in the traditional ones again (I'm thinking about ankle support and sole sensitivity over long distances). We'll see how well that works, now that my stride has adjusted to minimalism (used to be a heel striker, now it's midfoot).

Other comments:

The wear on the sole of my Prios is less than I would expect, given that this is my primary shoe. Every other footwear I've owned (apart from snow boots) has shown more wear in less time.

My current rotation (for running AND general fitness), in order of most to least frequent use:

1) Xero Prio

2) Merrel Trail Glove

3) Reebok Crossfit Nano 8.0 (gym only, very limited running)

4) Any Brooks shoes I own (Caldera 2, Ghost 8, Adrenaline GTS 16)...very, very rarely these days.

How in the h$ll does the Nano figure in? Before I transitioned to the Prio, I was looking for something more stable to use in the gym. It's kind of blah for running but it's been a good gym shoe.

I recommend toe socks (I like Injinji) for use with the Prio, and with other shoes for that matter. I can comfortably run sans socks in the Prio, but it's more enjoyable with socks on my longer runs and/or trails/wet conditions. I prefer the lighter weight running socks.

I wash my Prios every so often in the washing machine (quick, gentle cycle, extra spin; detergent specially formulated for athletic gear). I let them air dry. No problem. However, I once dried them in the dryer, inside of a small backpack, on high heat. It wasn't entirely intentional, but it was a mistake. That seemed to cause the sole to start separating from the upper around the toes. Maybe the glue was already starting to weaken there before my boneheaded move, who knows. Anyway, the shoes were still comfortably useable despite the partial separation, although arguably more dangerous (I feared the front of the sole would catch). Still, I decided to reattach with Boot-Fix Glue, and this has worked surprisingly well.

If you are coming from wearing traditional running shoes, wearing something like the Prio (meaning flat, low, "minimal") will tend to encourage a more "natural" footstrike (shifting toward mid- or forefoot strike). For me, this was initially a rather weird experience. It is jarring/uncomfortable to continue heel striking in minimalist shoes. So the natural adaptation seems to be to run in a way more similar to what you would do if you were running truly barefoot. This felt different, and kind of wrong, until I got used to it. I also realized that my feet felt better after each run/workout. I would say it took me six weeks to get used to my new running form.

I hope this is helpful to someone out there!

Got my first pair a little over a week ago. Put 100 miles on them in six days. They're a little heavier than I'd prefer, but so far I'm really enjoying them.

I've been a minimalist guy for years, and have done all my training this year in Altra Vanish-R's, so there was no issue in transitioning to these.

I have a 12-hour race coming up and intend to wear them for that.

I'm perfectly happy with the Altras, and wasn't really in the market for a new shoe, but heard an interview with the CEO, and I liked the way he runs his company. It sounds like everyone is treated very fairly, and he talked about the guys in the warehouse being as valuable as those in the boardroom.

Research done. Running in these regularly for 9 months. Not a whiff of getting injured so far. I could see someone pushing too hard too soon in these after being used to traditional running shoes - sure, that could cause injury, I bet. In some cases. Aside from that scenario, I wonder what makes you expect certain injury...

Speaking of research, I invite everyone to consider the time preceding the popularization of the traditional running shoe. And/or modern peoples who run often in little to no footwear at all.

I also invite everyone to critically review peer reviewed studies concerning minimalism in running shoes, as well as traditional running shoes, and respective injury rates, biomechanics, benefits, risks and so on.

Lastly...try for yourself. I suggest that doing a little research and starting slowly can lead more people to enjoy minimalism than the average consumer would ever suspect.

(This comes from a flat footed longtime runner who was more skeptical about minimalist running than most, before ample reading on the subject and ultimately running in Prios! I'm no scientist, but I think my feet/ankles are stronger than ever, my stride is softer, and this probably has something to do with why I feel so darn good running these days.)

Bump

Dude just go barefoot.

I enjoy using no technological assistance to run.

You will get to see how ancient people felt, and it's amazing.

PS you don't need or get huge callouses. It's a change to your gait that protects your feet.

Hi Barefooter, do you actually go barefoot often? If so, on what terrain? I'd be interested to hear about your experience any any pointers for folks who might want to be barefoot more often. Perhaps that's for a different thread, though.

Do you ever wear the Prio or anything like it?

Based on my own experience, I agree with the gait change as a protector of the feet. However, that only goes so far.

Admittedly, I tend to believe that in many modern environments outside of the home (in some cases, even that's not an exception!), we benefit more from the protection afforded by some form of footwear than we are negatively impacted by wearing footwear (hopefully it's clear that I am talking about minimalist shoes). I prefer to have protection against especially rough, sharp and/or unhygienic 'litter' of all kinds, manmade or natural, and plenty of my daily paths often include such hazards, more than I'd like. I would be tempted to go barefoot anyway and just be more careful, if not for the masses of other people 'in the way', obscuring my view of the path, not to mention vehicles, which make it hazardous to always be looking downward. And then there's aspects of the distinct seasons we experience around here, which possess their own hazards. Oh, and I can't get away with being truly barefoot anywhere on the campus where I work - which in some ways is unfortunate, because it would be quite safe, at least in the buildings and on some of the outdoor walkways, even.

I am barefoot or in a very minimal sandal (or just socks) quite often, when I'm not at work. I might do it even more often, if it weren't frowned upon by so many establishments. I would LOVE to see that change.