XeroShoes for Me

So this month is my "Running in Sandals" 5th anniversary. My first full-in-only-sandal run was on the Umhlanga promenade while I was in Durban to watch Comrades 2010.

I had started running in September 2009 with the goal of running Comrades 2010 but I experienced constant pain and niggles, while wearing shoes. In March 2010 I ran the last half of the Bergville half marathon without my shoes (just wearing my socks) and it felt good to run barefoot.  I researched online, came across Invisible Shoes, as they were originally known, and ordered a pair immediately. I received my DIY kit in May and I made them up by cutting the A4 size rubber to the size and shape of my foot, knocking in 3 holes using a belt tool and tying them with cored roped.

5 years later, I have just received, and started running in,  my 6th pair of sandals - now known as XeroShoes. I have at least one pair of all the upgrades - mostly in black but also in blue,  a 6mm salmon coloured pair for the trails, and my newest ones, the Amuri Cloud, in green and blue. The amazing thing is that I haven't had to buy a new pair because the tread on all of them is still good, I just buy them to try them out.

I have tried a few different brands of sandals during the 5 years, some I have persevered with for longer than others but each time I have come back to the XeroS.