The minimalist shoe that allowed us to experiment with a new particular running style is the latest Vibram model: FiveFingers® V-Trail

Off road bare foot race, we want to try?

Starting point: in order to effectively deal with all the running activities on the most diverse natural terrains but also on the road, you should know the characteristics and potential of your feet.

"I wanted to go barefoot in a protected way, because when you really feel the ground beneath your feet, your body can do what it was designed to do by nature." In this way, the industrial designer Robert Fliri summarized his intuition by which the first response to the need to deepen the awareness of the use and functionality of the feet was born.

The idea took concrete shape with the creation of the first pair of Vibram FiveFingers®. Vibram not by chance. The brand that has its headquarters in Albizzate in the province of Varese is internationally known for its constant commitment to innovation. Many of the models of shoes currently on the market for trail running, skyrunning and ultratrail trainings and competitions, but also for approach and hiking and mountaineering footwear for over 80 years, benefit from the reliability of the soles that began to design and produce Vitale Brahmans, from the initials of which the company has derived the name.

Wearing the Vibram FiveFingers® opens up a world of sensations in which any pair of traditional footwear is not able to lead.

What are their main features?

The sole is thin, flexible and unstructured, and allows the foot to move and bend. The fingers are all separated from each other, drawing inspiration from the long process of evolution of the human species that has shaped them so far. All the steps that are taken with the FiveFingers® favor a new experience of perception of the soil structure, increase the level of sensitivity and the connection with the surrounding environment.

The minimalist shoe that allowed us to experiment with this particular style of running is the new Vibram FiveFingers® V-Trail model.

The company offers it as an ideal support for trail running, mud race and in general for off road racing. Already a user of previous models, I know the need to find the right housing for each finger first, then to fix the closure, which in this case is a choke and can be locked to the upper with Velcro. The sensation obtained with the correct positioning is that of a pleasant envelopment, a sort of protective embrace on the distal segment of the lower limb.

This model is intended for dry and wet surfaces: in the test phase they were both trodden in hilly and then mountain contexts with calcareous lithologies, and the design adopted with multidirectional fins always ensured good grip.

The sole with the special Megagrip compound (5 mm thick) and the use of 3D Cocoon technology, incorporated up to the finger area, gives not only adequate flexibility, but also dispersion of the pressure to the ground and distribution of the impact. Naturally the power of the action must be commensurate with the basic concept of the bare foot race and not that of a classic trail running setting, so it is advisable not to exceed your stride, land lightly and do not lean on the heel.

The sole covers the support surface of the foot but also the fingers and the heel: this provides great protection against impacts and a greater gripping surface which is useful on soft and muddy grounds.

There is a 2 mm EVA insole and a Poly woven antimicrobial insole.

The materials used for the upper are polyester and spandex.

I experimented with Vibram FiveFingers® V-Trail running lightly, and then during a walk on the rocks of a stream. The functionality given by the combination of design and materials chosen for this model is adequate to expectations and use in the field of pathways and off-road. To test the sensitivity I wore the V-Trail model also on the slackline, finding a very positive response that can make valid the choice to use for this activity the model in the winter season or in the mountains with low temperatures.

In conclusion, to activate that dialogue between the foot, the ground and the environment that is one of the reasons that have favored the spread of Vibram FiveFingers®, I have also worn them to rake freshly cut grass on a sloping lawn. The experience is undoubtedly unusual, but has confirmed yet another way the versatility of using these foot gloves.