For those of you who are new here, my current passion is CrossFit. I’ve previously been passionate about lots of sports including marathon running, triathlon, bike racing and yoga all documented here to some degree. However, for the past 2 years, I’ve done nothing but crossfit and yoga almost daily and with that kind of dedication and consistency comes certain opinions about shoes, for example.
CrossFit requires an athlete to be able perform multiple different movements in the course of an hour, an event or even a trail run (I miss those). And, so far, there really hasn’t been a perfect shoe, at least for me. Most days, I’ll start my day in a wood soled weight training shoe and finish in a light weight cross training type of shoe, usually my Innov-8?s unless the workout requires significant amounts of running- in which case, I wear a racing flat.
Today, I’ve had the great pleasure of trying both the Barefoot Runner Dash Glove and also the Barefoot Run Bare Access Arc. Both shoes are designed to be barefoot runners with the Run Bare being more of an entry level barefoot runner as it offers more support in the sole. Can I just say that my first out of the box experience has been amazing! It is rare that I love a pair of shoes the minute I put them on and these have left me completely floored. Both have a wider toe box, a very light weight feel to them and are easy to get on and off. I love the extra elastic strap at the back of the Dash Glove shoes as it gives you just a little extra flexibility in getting them on and off.
As with any new shoe, there is a “get to know you period” especially when it comes to running, but, for everything from jumping rope to box jumping to hiking outside with the kids, I can honestly tell you these shoes feel fantastic. There is a good amount of research and knowledge on the Merrell site about why to use Barefoot runners here. I’ve previously owned a pair of Merrell’s called the Siren and loved them till they fell off my feet! In essence, Merrell has never let me down and these Barefoot runners do not disappoint.
If you’ve had good experiences with Merrell, please share them here!
P.S. I am incredibly thankful for having this opportunity to review Merrell’s Barefoot Running Shoes for purposes of review on this website. The opinions above are my own, no joke.