Flee Flies in Five Fingers

Flee is an amazingly talented artist and illustrator who writes and draws at her blog drawntorun.com. Also, Flee is a marathon runner who switched to Vibram Five Fingers Bikilas over the last year. Read about her transition after the jump.

My name is Flee - I'm a runner, illustrator and relatively recent convert to barefoot running. I made the transition just under a year ago, a few weeks after completing Sydney's annual marathon (little did I know it would be my last ever in shoes) inspired of course by 'Born To Run'. I took to running in my fives like a duck to water. All of a sudden, after battling some persistent knee pain and feeling like it was a bit of a chore; running felt utterly joyful and natural. I was so convinced that I very promptly gave away my expensive trainers and never looked back.

Flee running the Sydney Marathon in 2009 wearing traditional running shoes vs 2010 wearing Vibram Five Fingers Bikilas.

Just last weekend I ran in the Sydney Marathon again and in my Bikila, I was able to take an easy 20 minutes off last year's time. I love seeing the difference between these two race day photos - you can how unnatural my stride was in the picture on the left - a perfect example of how shoes can encourage you to heel strike. With a little help from my five fingers (all 4 pairs!), running has evolved from hobby to a passion. So much so, that it has made its way into every area of my life, including my illustration. You can check out some of my cartoon musings on barefoot running in my new blog 'Drawn to Run'

A few more samples of Flee's illustrations:

Thanks, Flee, for sharing your success story and your amazing drawings.