A Brief Defense of Vibram FiveFingers: Why I Won't Be Claiming $94

Two days ago, Runner's World reported that Vibram, the company that manufactures and sells Vibram FiveFingers footcoverings, has lost a class action lawsuit and must pay out $3.75 million to consumers who were subject to the company's claims that FiveFingers would "reduce foot injuries and strengthen foot muscles." Now, any previous buyer can receive roughly $94 in compensation. Then, just yesterday, a co-worker prompted me to claim my $94 because I am a Vibram FiveFingers wearer and it would be easy money. I staunchly refused because, despite the profanity-laden retorts of writers of questionable credentials like this one, my running life was enhanced by Vibrams to a great degree.

In defense of Vibram, to run in Vibram FiveFingers, one has to acclimate to zero-drop running and undo years of running and walking in the elevated soles and cushioning of shoes. Most people, however, put on Vibrams and started running with the same distance and intensity as they did with shoes, expecting magical results. Of course, they got injured because minimalist running is very different from shoe running: one has to develop a more mid-foot landing (with a secondary heel strike), bend his or her knees, lower his or her center of gravity, and increase cadence. If anything, you have to perfect your stride BEFORE you add mileage and pace with Vibrams.

​You know, it's funny that every year hundreds of recreational runners suffer from plantar fasciitis, Runner's Knee, Achilles tendonitis and tendinosis, shin splints, stress fractures, and worse in shoes... and very few people question the credibility of shoe companies and the shoes they design. Yet, Vibram FiveFingers are so easily linked to such maladies and thus pilloried whenever an erstwhile shoe runner launches full-bore into minimalist running without any appreciable period of adjustment​. It's a ridiculous hypocrisy that is not perpetuated by shoe companies as much as it is by people who know nothing about running without conventional shoes. In the Comments sections of the articles to which I linked, I read such enlightened comments as "EVERYONE wears shoes" or "I never see elite runners wearing minimalist shoes." My advice to such people is to put an earnest effort into transforming their strides to a more minimalist approach and then running judiciously with Vibrams or any other zero-drop minimalist footwear. They would find that they feel the ground more and that their calves and quadriceps absorb the shock of impact without having to rely on the high-tech cushioning of modern running shoes.
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Why can't the human body run without shoes? Why must we rely on elevated soles and contoured orthotics to run as fast as we can? Is humanity so flawed that we require such inventions to do what our bodies are optimally formed to do? By the way, if you really believe that people are not born to run, I'd recommend Born to Run because McDougall lays out compelling arguments for human beings as born to be endurance runners... well before modern shoes were concocted. (For a recent article about McDougall's nicely-balanced opinions on running, read this article.)

In summation, I won't be claiming my $94 because I wear Vibram FiveFingers proudly and happily. Sometimes, I run with shoes, mostly to give my feet and legs a break because minimalist running requires my very best form and physical condition. With shoes, people can run with stride deficiencies and gross heel-striking because the shoes compensate for those things. If anything, running shoes make running more accessible for the recreational runner who really has no desire to tinker with their strides. However, Vibrams require your constant attention; Vibrams require acclimation, adjustment, tinkering, and readjustment to work. If you put the work into running with Vibrams, you find that your leg and foot muscles do the work that your shoes do. In this way, I believe that Vibrams have the capacity to assist you in seeking a better stride and foot landing which would, in turn, "reduce foot injuries and strengthen foot muscles." Sadly, Vibram was a bit bold and foolish to make such a claim, especially considering that most consumers are looking for a quick fix and not for footwear that demands a transformation of one's running style.