My reward for myself after completing my fourth marathon were these sandals. These are as simple and minimal as they come. Just a flat 4 mm pad of Vibram rubber with a strip of thin leather wrapped around the heal and ankle to keep them on.
These were developed in large part based on the same type of sandals that the Tarahumara wear on their feet. The Tarahumara is the indigenous tribe in the Copper Canyons of Mexico who have competed and beaten many of the best ultra-distance runners of our time. This is the tribe largely responsible for the current barefoot/minimalist footwear boom.
Christopher McDougal, in Born to Run, started looking for answers as to why his foot hurt and never seemed to heal no matter what he or the doctors did. In this adventure, he discovered and wrote about many scientists and practitioners of barefoot running and describes the benefits of going sans shoes. Specifically, he writes about the running techniques and footwear of the Tarahumara and our ancestral heritage of running. In his book, Christopher McDougal happens upon this tribe through a man they call Caballo Blanco (the White Horse), who is an American living with the Tarahumara.
In comes Barefoot Ted. Of all the runners that get invited to the big 50 mile race, organized by Caballo Blanco in the Copper Canyons, he is the one who decides to wear Vibram Five-Fingers, thus opening a new market for people who like to wear funny looking shoes. I would say that Barefoot Ted is the one who started this whole Vibram Five-Fingers, barefoot/minimalist movement, at least in the main stream.
Barefoot Ted noticed that the Tarahumara wore these type of sandals that they wear to walk and run they make out of old tire rubber and leather straps. He researched the footwear of our ancestors and through that, plus his connections with Vibram, developed and designed these very simple sandals.
So, if you are into the minimalist mindset as I am, and you like the Vibram Five-Fingers, I highly recommend giving these a try. They will give your feet quite a workout, so go slow, but eventually you might even be able to run in them. I will be trying these out for a run in a week or so and look forward to reviewing them for you. The website is https://www.lunasandals.com/ .
Not that I'm here to sell you stuff, but there are a lot of benefits of minimalizing (new word!) your footwear. It's better for your knees, your hips, your back, and your feet. It takes a little while to build up the strength in your feet but it's worth it. A little research into the barefoot/minimalist movement will turn up mostly positive research results. Less impact on your joints... that's right, LESS impact on your joints, better balance, and even better running.
You and I were designed for walking and running barefoot, but the concrete and asphalt of the world makes stepping on glass and metal pointy things interesting for your feet. That being said, there was a guy in the marathon on Sunday whose shoes had created chafing so bad that he was bleeding. He eventually took the shoes off and ran on the center line in the road. He finished the marathon, too. Probably faster than me.
See for yourself- if you do what you're designed to do, you will be healthier and happier.
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