I'm signed up for my 2nd time doing the 50k. Last year I did it in a pair of Luna Origen huarache sandals which are about 13mm thick and use old tire treads. I think that was a bit of overkill when I really just needed something for the various gravel patches on the course. This year I'm hoping to do it in my homemade leather huaraches made from $10 of bullhide scrap and $5 of leather cord. There was one guy last year who did the 25k totally unshod. Looked to be older than me, maybe 55-60. Kind of curious if he's on here at all but didn't meet him and don't know his name! I just heard about him and saw a few pictures of him on the galleries at the web site. Are there any others planning on running this year?
I ran a 25K barefoot before, the same course that later Zola Budd told me she would never run barefoot, not that there was anything particularly difficult about the course, just that she doesn't think we should be running barefoot on asphalt. She only runs barefoot on track and earth. How thick will you make your new huraches?
Heh. It's funny because I really don't like running on asphalt, concrete or other paved surfaces with footwear now and preffer those surfaces unshod. Nothing beats a smooth dirt trail unshod, though, that's for sure. This year the huaraches I'm going to use are made of scrap bullhide and maybe 4mm thick. Just enough to keep my feet from getting that roughed up/stinging feeling after running over gravel too much. Most of the course is pretty easy hardpack dirt but there are just enough gravel sections that I don't want to do it all unshod. The course is 25k so I just do two laps of that but I could see how one lap would be possible unshod. That second lap of unshod would be pretty rough!
I miss running on natural earth too. My feet are so hosed up from poor shoe choices...you know the story, don't want to bother you with it. That bullhide is a lot thicker than I would have thought it would be. Take a picture when you get them finished so we can see how they turned out. I'd like to know how they did for you on your 25K.
Welp, I'm glad I've been "equipment testing"! As this is the first pair of homemade sandals I'm starting to understand why Xero DIY sandals have those little bump-outs on the sides for the straps to anchor to. After a few gravel runs in my bullhides without the bump-outs I got some small bruises on both midsoles of my feet due to the sandals perfectly trapping small rocks there. I'll probably be going back to my tried-and-true Origens or maybe my old 6mm Xero DIYs as a result. One of my initial curiosities about full leather sandals was whether the traction would make pavement running more comfortable for me. I've come to believe that the big reason for paved surfaces feeling "harder" than dirt has almost nothing to do with surface hardness but surface traction. A rubber tread on a solid, paved surface is a lot of traction, especially compared to that same tread on loose rocks or dirt. As a result your body automatically tightens up your stride on the looser surface to maintain stability and footing. On the high-traction surface you can lapse into pushing off too hard and over-striding. The jury's still out on whether these make paved running more enjoyable mostly because I enjoy unshod on paved so much. But I obviously have more R&D to do if I want to use them on trails without captured pebbles hurting my feet!
Giving this one a bump as the race is one month from today! A really great event for any in the area who haven't been yet. Lots of great volunteers and colorful characters.
