Veteran Runner Makes the Switch to Vibram Five Fingers KSOs

By Britt on May 4, 2010 | In User Stories | 3 comments »

Steve at Big Sur
Steve runs comfortably in his Vibram Five Fingers KSOs at the Big Sur Marathon.

Vibram Fiver Fingers fan, Steve, recently ran in his 15th Big Sur Marathon, and his first in VFF KSOs. Steve comments on the switch:

I saw at least 3 other runners with VFFs, including a woman in purple ones, and one barefoot runner. I got quite a few positive comments on mine and I was surprised how many had heard of VFFs and were interested in my experience with them. I was happy to oblige and emphasized the fact that they are very comfortable to run and walk in, far more so than regular running shoes with all their padding - after running in these for 6 months regular shoes seem squishy and unstable. There was a Vibram booth at the expo and I got to see the new Bikila - I can't wait to buy a pair! I've been running for over 50 years, and had no trouble transitioning to KSOs, though instead of my normal 4 month marathon training cycle I started a couple months early to ease into using them just in case I had any problems. I have no regrets about switching over, in fact I look forward to my runs more than I have in years, and as a side benefit, despite doing most of my training in the hills, for the first time in forever I have no black toenails! VFFs Rock!

Thanks Steve! Please send us some photos when you get your Bikilas.

About the Author — 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.
Britt has written 161 articles and 67 comments.
Tags: kso, running

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« Tyre changing in Vibram Five Finger Blue Camo SprintsVibram Five Finger KSO Treks Perfom Well in an Extreme Trail Race (Fell Race) »
Comment from: Nadine Dytko [Visitor]
Nadine DytkoCongratulations Steve! I will be doing a trail marathon in October, and I can't wait to do them in the VFFs.
05/04/10 @ 11:20
Comment from: Chris Johnson [Visitor]
Chris JohnsonMy first VFF marathon in June, a road marathon, in Sprints. Once I discovered and maintained my stride with BF and VFF I too was reinspired to run. I love the feel of the shoes. I love the lack of residual muscle soreness. And I like the novelty of being in the VFFs.
After my marathon I am going to try some trail running in the VFFs. Can't wait!
05/05/10 @ 05:54
Comment from: Tom [Visitor]
TomI just ran my first marathon at Big Sur in my KSOs; I was the slow one that came in at the end of the pack!

I only had my KSOs for about two months before I ran the marathon. I don't know if that was a good idea or not but after training in the KSOs for just a short time I couldn't stand my traditional running shoes. They are now collecting dust in the closet.

I was disappointed that I couldn't try on the Bikila at the Expo but glad to see it before I ordered a pair. Frankly, I think I am going to stick with the KSOs and/or my barefeet. As others have noted, it does seem to be moving in the direction of more shoe instead of less...
05/06/10 @ 19:12