Ironman in Training Runs a Half Marathon in his New Vibram Five Fingers Bikilas

Ironman runner, Tim, was lucky enough to land a pair of red and white Vibram Five Fingers Bikilas and take 'em out for a 13 mile spin. Tim reports on how it transpired:

I ended up having a friend (Thanks Rob!) who lives in Boston pick them up at City Sports last week and ship them to me in DC—apparently they were the last pair of size 43s available for sale in the whole city at the time. I got them just a day or two before a half marathon race I was signed up for and after going for a 3 mile run the day before I decide to just jump right in and do the race with without breaking them in.

Right away they feel much different than my Sprints or Flows.  The material on the inside of the shoe is very comfortable to wear and the newly designed heel makes the biggest difference in overall fit.  With the other models I really had to cinch the rear straps pretty tight which pushed my foot forward—in the Bikilas the rear of the shoe cups my heel so much more and keeps my feet in place.

Oh yeah, and they simply look badass too!

More from Tim after the jump.

Some photos Tim took when he unboxed his new Bikilas. Nice, ad worthy, pics!

Tim runs, guns drawn, by a random shopper who has wandered onto the course.

Tim on the race:

I ended up doing the 13 miles in around 2:20, (running in Zone2 as prescribed by my Ironman training plan) and my legs feel great!  No blisters at all—which goes against what you’d expect for your first run in a new pair of shoes.  The Bikilas will definitely be my model of choice come Ironman Florida time in November.

I also happened to see one barefooter during the race and two other VFF wearers (though neither of them had Bikilas!).

We've previously seen Tim on BirthdayShoes running a marathon in his Sprints, in his hiking Old Rag Mountain video, and finishing triathalons. Follow him on twitter @timkelleydotnet.

Thanks, Tim, and good luck in the Ironman.