Vibram Five Finger Komodosport LS (Those Crazy Monkey Shoes)

If you're new to running, and especially minimalist and barefoot running, well you're in for a treat. If you are an avid blog reader like myself, then you have read 100 of these posts. I'm not necessarily aiming to be like every other running blog and review shoes, but I'm passionate about and have spent a crazy amount of time thinking and reading about what goes or doesn't go on my feet. Besides, every well established running blog has some sort of VFF review.

So after some serious blog hopping, google searching, and in store viewing I made my first minimalist shoe purchase a few months ago. It was a close tie between a pair of Merrell Trail Gloves and The Komodosport from Vibram.  And then I discovered there was an LS version (lacing system) of the Vibram shoe I was sold, boooyah! I wanted to purchase locally from my running store, but they aren't conveniently located to me and they don't carry the LS model. I felt bad because I went in and tried on the regular velcro model and then didn't buy them, but whatever, I'm a consumer. If they read this then now they know, shoulda stocked the LS version.  I purchased mine online from REI.  At first I tried to purchase from a smaller company recommended by another blogger. This other unamed company had terrible customer service!  I wanted to purchase the shoes with two different gift cards to cover the total cost. Of course you can't do this over the internet, which I expected from the beginning. No big deal. So I call in, get an incredibly unprofessional greeting along the lines of "Hello, what do you want?" and was told I would have to call back another day to make it happen because the manager wasn't in. Wow, how dumb can a company be? I called in begging to give them money and they said no.  REI on the other hand apparently understands basic business principals. Someone comes to you with money, you do what they ask, they give you money. REI was accomodating and did it with a smile, which is why I highly recommend them now.

Gratuitous Link to REI website and shoes I bought

Hey REI, how about sponsoring my next race? I promise to deck out in REI gear =)

Now on to the shoe! The Komodosport is arguably the beefiest of the VFF product line and there still ain't much there between you and the terrain. It boasts a 4mm thick sole and a 2mm thick removable insole with a zero heel to toe drop. That's right folks, 6mm between your foot and the ground and not an ounce of padding to be found. Yet, I would brag they are the most comfortable shoes I own. Everyone ALWAYS asks, "Doesn't it get annoying to have material between your toes?" No. I was concerned with this before purchasing, but they are so well designed with a seamless interior, that I wear them without socks and forget their is anything on my feet at times. I certainly never even think about the material between my toes; it's a non-thought. I've never had a blister or hot spot on or around any of my toes.

Now the sole of this shoe was designed with the off-roader in mind as well as the cross training crossfit type. So it suites me perfectly. You can see they gave thought to the lateral movements of many cross training activities and designed the grip to support it, unlike previous VFF models. The toes are well protected with the sole extending over the front so that when you inevitable kick a tree root, rock, stump on the trail you might not rip your toe nail off or worse yet break a toe! However, this shouldn't be a concern if you pick your feet up.  I fall from not picking my feet up just about every other time I hit the trails. It gets hard to remember after a grueling hill climb or you're distracted by the gorgeous scenery.

This picture was taken on the highest point of my favorite trail run at Eagle Creek.

The shoes are designed to be worn sockless (or with toe socks if you must). I love wearing them sockless. I much prefer to run without socks on. Probably because I can never find the socks I want, or worse just one of them. The entire hassle is eliminated with a good sockless design. There is one slight drawback, these shoes have some serious stank!  I don't mind it, but EVERY one else does. So long as they stay on my feet, the smell stays locked up.  Thankfully, the dang things are machine washable. I threw them in after putting about 40 sweaty sockless miles in and they held up great.  The stench is mostly gone.  I don't think that kind of piercing foot stank smell can every be entirely eliminated and I make no apologies for it. I'm proud of my own brand of stenches in every variety.

The groundfeel is awesome with these shoes. Go outside right now. Take off your shoes. Run down the driveway and then maybe 50 feet down the street and back. Pay close attention to how the ground feels beneath your feet. Now do the same thing in the grass.  Be mindful of each step as you take it. You probably stepped on a pebble or two, it probably hurt, but all those other steps on the asphalt felt surprisingly pretty good and well, different that what you are used too. Now the grass and the soft damp earth, that just feels awesome. VFF shoes give you as much of that feeling as possible, and surprisingly a lot, but none of the pain when you hit a pebble. You feel the pebble underfoot; you know the pebble is there, but it doesn't hurt. This is gonna sound uber hippy, but it brings running to a whole new level when you feel a connection to the ground you stand on. When on the trails, I feel like an ancient Aztec zipping silently through the forest, stalking my prey. Running has never been so much fun as it is in the babies. They are stealth shoes, if it wasn't for all the fallen leaves right now, no one would ever hear me coming.