Erik is a barefoot runner from Brazil who recently contacted us on Twitter (@erikneves). He said that he had completed an Ironman in Brazil two weeks ago and just finished an Ultramarathon this past weekend. Not only that but he completed the Ultramarathon by doing one half of it barefoot and the other half wearing huaraches. Which got me wondering . . . What the heck is a Huarache?
A Huarache is some kind of Mexican running sandal. I searched several websites and there were a lot of links to different types of Huaraches, but I chose this website because I have a feeling that this is what our friend @erikneves was running in – http://www.invisibleshoe.com/. If you visit this website you will see that these sandals are super thin and supposedly are supposed to give you the experience of barefoot running while still protecting your feet.
I don’t know about you, but I tried running a marathon over a month ago and on a trip to San Juan Capistrano, I was walking around with sandals on and all my friends told me that it looked like my feet had cancer because they were covered in blood blisters from running in a marathon. I could not imagine running in those huaraches, let alone running half of an ultramarathon in them and the other have completely barefoot.
That’s crazy! But, now we know what a huarache is . . . and so do you.
Yup, that Erik. Many thanks for the article. Here’s some more info.
My first pair of huaraches were indeed from invisibleshoe.com. I was, actually, their first Brazilian customer. Also, I’ve won a contest for their new logo, which made me very proud, since I’m no designer and can barely draw a circle! I love running on them. It’s the second best thing after barefoot I’ve encountered so far.
That being said, I ran the Ironman and half the 51K on a pair of Equus Luna. Although expensive, their elasticized laces make putting them on and taking them off a snap. The leather of the sole helped protect my feet during the rocky trails and poor tarmac I had to run on.
If you want to start barefoot running, consider going really barefoot. Use these sandals only when you need protection: trails, rough tarmac, hot pavement or during the night, when you can’t see where you’re stepping on. Tip: carry them tucked on the back of your running shorts, just in case you encounter one of these situations.
Most importantly: either barefoot or minimally shod, start slow and short, no more than 400 yds on alternating days, adding 10% weekly.
Best of luck on your quests, Bros!
Erik, you are absolutely insane. We applaud and admire you. I suppose that is why you will always be one of our heroes. Maybe I will have to try barefoot running, I’m just not sure that I could do it. Everyone things my feet are messed up as it is. I’m sure that would make my feet look even more discgusting. Thanks for commenting, it’s awesome to see exactly what kind of shoes you’ve been running on.