Hi Zeb & Rocky,
I am writing with Invisible Shoes® Provide Healthy Option for Athletic and Casual Barefoot Footwear
Invisible Shoes® provide a true barefoot experience but with a layer of sole protection, allowing for complete natural movement, a lighter stride, foot strengthening and much more. Inspired by Christopher McDougall’s NYT bestseller, Born To Run, Steven Sashen created Invisible Shoes as a high-tech upgrade of the huarache running sandals that the Tarahumara Indians fashion out of used tires. Once he started wearing them, his chronic calf, knee and hamstring injuries quickly disappeared. Sashen then launched www.InvisibleShoe.com in November 2009, began selling Invisible Shoes online, and has since sold over 5,000 pairs in 35 different countries. On July 9th, 2011, Invisible Shoes launched the first and only outsoles specifically designed for barefoot running sandals — the 4mm thick Connect and 6mm Contact. Both products were co-developed with two former lead designers from Nike and Reebok, and feature the exclusive FeelTrue™ rubber for a great barefoot feel with added style and protection.
Why Barefoot Running?
Empirical and anecdotal evidence shows that barefoot running improves running form, prevents and heals injuries, increases balance and proprioception, improves posture, strengthens feet and ankles and can develop arches in previously flat feet. Research from Harvard’s Dr. Daniel Lieberman and orthopedic surgeon Dr. Joseph Froncioni shows that when wearing a typical padded motion control running shoe with a raised heel, runners land heel-first and with a relatively straight leg. This heel-strike landing sends a shock wave up to six times the body’s weight through the knees, legs, hips, back, shoulders and neck. Conversely, when running barefoot or in a minimalist shoe, runners land on the ball of the foot with a shorter, lighter, faster, easier stride which is cushioned by the body’s natural shock absorbers – muscles, ligaments and tendons. In short, research suggests running shoes are the very cause of the injuries they are supposed to prevent. With over 85 barefoot or minimalist footwear options on the market from over 20 different companies, minimalist running is being embraced by health and fitness-minded people around the globe. Industry analysts project that minimalist footwear will make up 10 percent of running shoe sales in 2011, $500 million of a $5 billion market.
The Invisible Shoes Story
Now injury-free and with arches in his life-long flat feet, at 49-year-old Invisible Shoes CEO Steven Sashen consistently sprints past runners half his age and has secured a spot as a USA Track & Field Masters All-American sprinter. The constant muscle pulls and tears in his calves and hamstrings, relentless burning pain in his posterior tibialis and throbbing knee pain that plagued him are distant memories.
Amazed that such a simple product could have such a dramatic effect, Sashen muses “I shouldn’t be surprised that mankind’s oldest footwear was the answer for running pain and injury-free.”
Invisible Shoes are perfect for running, walking, hiking, yoga, gym-going, or a casual stroll through town. While the average cost of other “natural movement” footwear is $99.82, built with up to a 12mm heel lift and weights of up to 12 ounces per shoe, Invisible Shoes start at $20, have a “zero drop” (no height difference between the front and rear of the shoe) and weigh in at 3.8 ounces per shoe. Comprised of high-performance, flexible FeelTrue™ rubber sole trimmed to perfectly fit your foot and durable, non-stretch nylon laces, Invisible Shoes let you enjoy a barefoot feel in any environment and on any surface. Customers can also feel good about their purchase because Invisible Shoes are made of partially recycled materials. Invisible Shoes also let you express yourself through your footwear, with colored lace options, numerous tying styles, and dozens of decorative add-ons, a la Crocs’ Jibbitz™.
Invisible Shoes Gives Back to the Tarahumara
To bring its Feel The World™ motto to life, Invisible Shoes donates 10 percent of the profits from its custom-made Invisible Shoes to the Tarahumara Children’s Hospital Fund.
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About Feel The World, Inc. and Invisible Shoes®: Co-founded by CEO and All-American Masters sprinter Steven Sashen and COO Lena Phoenix, Feel The World, Inc., makes Invisible Shoes, a modern take on huaraches, the traditional Mexican running sandals of the Tarahumara featured in the NYT bestseller, Born To Run. After Sashen discovered that running in Invisible Shoes healed chronic running injuries and that his life-long flat feet had developed arches, he and Phoenix launched the company November 2009. They’ve already sold over 5,000 pairs of Invisible Shoes in over 35 countries. Comprised of high-performance, flexible FeelTrue™ rubber sole designed and customized to perfectly fit your foot and durable, stretch-resistant nylon laces, Invisible Shoes can be used to walk, run, and hike as well as for yoga and gym-going. Multiple lace color selections and countless bead, charm and pendant additions make Invisible Shoes both athletic and fashionable footwear. The decorative options have earned them the nickname “the Crocs of minimalism”. Invisible Shoes start at only $20, weigh in at 3.8 ounces and have a “zero drop” (no height difference between the front and rear of the shoe). Invisible Shoes are custom made to perfectly fit your foot, either with a simple “custom-made for you… by you!®” DIY kit, or made professionally by the company based on a tracing of your foot. To express gratitude for their Tarahumara inspiration, Invisible Shoes donates 10% of net profits to the Tarahumara Children’s Hospital Fund with each purchase of Custom Invisible Shoes. For more information visit www.InvisibleShoe.com. Try Invisible Shoes and Feel The World™.
