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Competitive Runner Trains in Vibram Five Fingers

Vibram Five Fingers fan, Sean, is a competitive runner from Canada. He runs for the Phoenix Athletics track club and has competed in the Canadian Championships. Read what Sean had to say about discovering and later training in Vibram Five Fingers:I…

Vibram Five Fingers fan, Sean, is a competitive runner from Canada. He runs for the Phoenix Athletics track club and has competed in the Canadian Championships. Read what Sean had to say about discovering and later training in Vibram Five Fingers:

I first read about Vibram Five Fingers when reading Born To Run. I was so fascinated by the whole barefoot thing with the Taramuhara Indians that I just had to try barefoot running myself. I got a pair of sprints and there was only one navy/camo in my size left. I thought they were pretty ugly at first. For the first month I was just walking in them. I built up some tolerance two months in and only went for a few casual runs in them til I had to put them away for the winter.

When the good weather started to come around at the end of March, I was quick to get the Vibrams back on and to buy myself a pair of Classics as well(now my favorite five fingers shoe). I started with just walking in them and then progressed into a bit of running, building up the distance gradually. It’s now June and I can comfortably run 15-30 minutes in them. I am a competitive runner, competing in the 1500, 3000 and 5000 meters with PR’s of 3:52, 8:23 and 14:50. I’m pretty sure there are not too many people at my level who train in them. People on my track team think I’m crazy when I put them on to do the workout, but I have proved that I can go fast, if not faster in them than shoes. I just thought I would share my story with people because it really is possible to do very fast running in five fingers and I hope others at the recreational and competitive level try and run fast in them as well.

Thanks, Sean! It is great to see that Five Fingers work well at very competitive levels of running and even though we may never run these kinds of times, it is possible to run fast in them.

By Britt

Hailing from College Station, Texas (Home to Texas A&M!), I grew up running cross country. Believe it or not, I gave Justin the name for this site back in early 2009 but I didn't jump on the toe shoes bandwagon until a year later. I am also really into quadcopters and drones and have a blog called OddCopter.com.

8 replies on “Competitive Runner Trains in Vibram Five Fingers”

“…I just had to try barefoot running myself. I got a pair of sprints”
I love my Sprints. But running in them is NOT barefoot running.
Is it just my perception or is there some shame in deciding to run in Vibrams but not being able to accept it is not barefoot running? I train periodically barefoot to improve my stride. But I opt for Vibrams for my running in general and for events. I am NOT a barefoot runner. I am a minimalist runner.
Maybe we need a cooler name for what we do?
Climbing off my soapbox now.

This is my soap box!! If you are running barefoot or in minimalist vibrams they are essentially the same. The average running show has a heal height of 12-15 mm. With the sprint at 2mm and the KSO treks at 4mm we can say that although not barefoot we are running with a much smaller overall height and therefore can easily make the transition to barefoot at a faster and smoother rate than trying to do it from the shod shoe platform. Take a look at my gf’s website Kristenwestlake.net and you can follow a very highly trained runner make a comeback from her doldrum running to a shear joy runner! That’s for the opportunity to share our story!

My son started running in FiveFingers to see if he could overcome chronic shin splints and stress fractures. It has worked, and he is also noticeably faster after training in them over the winter.

Bad news, his coach won’t let him run track in them, as he says it will make his team a laughingstock, and nobody used them in the last Olympics.

So what shoes does he race in then? I have done my last 3100 miles in three pairs of Vibrams and am looking to possibly race in something with a bit more cushioning/protection.

@Michael Jones

Seriously? I was thinking about getting some Fivefinger sprints when track season comes rolling in. I’ve been running barefoot at the park with my brother for a while now, and little pebbles and things are starting to irritate me. But regular trainers cramp up most of my foot and hurt my calves, so…wearing those are not an option.

Seeing as how durable Fivefingers can be, I was really hoping to snag a pair and use them to use during season, and I think I will anyway, and see if it embarrasses my coach. But I have a feeling he won’t care and even tease me for wearing them. If he does have problems with public appearance, which I’m sure he doesn’t, I’ll just wear them on our training days. However, if I’m running faster in my soon-to-be Fivefinger Sprints, I’ll gladly consider replacing my spikes. (: Can’t wait.

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