These shoes are the perfect tool if you are interested in the whole barefoot movement. They will help you develop as a runner as well as strengthen up all those lazy under-appreciated muscles. Keep in mind that these shoes are about 2 generations older than the ones you'll find in the shops now, but I figure the 2 or so years that I've been running in these would qualify me to have an opinion worth sharing. And if you haven't figured it out already, I love these shoes, so here's why...

These are by far the lightest shoes I've owned. Short of getting a pair of {rokbox title=|Puma Lift :: Black and white Puma Lift| text=|foam based pumas| size=|570 454|}http://images.sneakernews.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/puma-lift-racer-black-white.jpg{/rokbox} (which on a side note are actually pretty cool as a light weight trainer if you're running on concrete only) or vibrams (which I've yet to try), these are about as close to running in bare feet as you'll get. The upper on this model is a soft dense mesh with a suede like fabric strengthening around the back of the heel and up through the inner arch. The rest of the foot is left to move how it should

The sole is a dense but light rubber that is cut into sections and can completely separate. This means that there is absolutely no restriction as to how far you can bend your foot when pushing off on your back foot while running. The complete separation of the sole modules also means that where needed, your foot can flex sideways too. This is a nice addition to a running shoe, but means that it really is unsuitable for alot of other sporting applications. I know this because I fractured a bone in my foot wearing these while trying to sidestep an apponent in indoor netball. My foot simply rolled much further than it would have in a regular court shoe.

The upper mesh is super breathable and keep feet well aired. This said it will also let in all the water from puddles you run through. But if you ask me, running in the rain is awesome and getting wet should just cool you off. So if you don't like getting wet feet, harden up.

Lastly, these shoes are crazy durable. I've worn mine casually as walking shoes as well as wearing them as my one and only pair of running shoes for nearly 2 years and they are still going strong. No other pair of shoes that I have owned have lasted so well.

So if one of your excuses for not running is that your shoes are heavy/uncomfortable/don't sit right when you run, suck it up and get some of these bad boys. Importing is always a good option as it can be heaps cheaper. Just make sure you try them on in a NZ store to make sure you've got your size right. Try EastBay.com for purchasing if you haven't already got a website in mind.

Please note that this model is now 2 generations old and the ones out now (which Loral has just bought) are even better in terms of breathable fabrics, arch support, and colour range.

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