I really wanted to love the RunAmoc, and not just because of the awesome name. The Huarache Sandals that I made a few weeks ago had some discomfort around the toe knot. I didn't want to jump on the Vibram FiveFingers bandwagon just yet. Minimalist shoes such as the Vivobarefoot seemed way to expensive. The Feelmax shoes have not appealed to me very much, although I'm not sure why.

After watching Last of the Mohicans I was primed and ready to run in my new moccasins.

I ordered the "RunAmoc - LITE red" with street sole (2 mm).

Here are pics and what I think of the RunAmoc:



I get a lot of double-takes and strange looks when I wear them, but also some people ask about them and say they are cool. Overall I like them as minimalist footwear. However, they are not my favorite running shoes.

Notice that you can see the outline of my foot and especially my big toe pushing up through the leather. The inside height of the shoe is so small that the toe pokes up and makes a little tent. This turns out to be a real problem while running. I can feel pressure on my toenail, along with rubbing along the side of my big toe, and after a while it actually hurts.



I don't like the shape of front of the moccasin. Notice the shape of my foot compared to the shape of the shoe. With my foot, the greatest length is clearly at my big toe. With the moccasin, the greatest length falls almost down the centerline of the shoe.

I also believe that the foot opening could be smaller, or maybe the saddle could be pushed further back towards the ankle. This would help keep the foot from sliding up towards the front of the shoe and possible solve the toenail issue.

As other bloggers and reviewers of noted, the insole material is actually quite thick compared to the outer sole. This does affect ground feel. The insole material tends to "stick" to my bare feet. It is a little hard to explain, but after a bit of running the bottoms of my feet felt hot and a little tender. Socks help a little bit but this makes my foot hotter and adds one more layer of material between my foot and the ground.

The RunAmoc features page states: "Please note the RunAmoc runs a little bigger than our other styles, so if in doubt between 2 sizes, it is best to go with the smaller size." Maybe I got the sizing wrong. I have always thought my feet were small, not wide. I normally wear 9 1/2, so I ordered a 9A. I'm not sure if all of the issues would be resolved if I went with the next size up. Maybe that would have made them too big and floppy. I will be sure to contact "the elves" at Soft Star Shoes with sizing questions before ordering any more running moccasins.

So while my RunAmocs are not my favorite running shoe (as much as I want them to be!), I do wear them to kick around the back yard, go to the grocery store, and I even wear them to work occasionally (my wife still cringes when I wear them in public). They are definitely minimalist and do not have support, so they allow the foot to continue building those "barefoot muscles" when occasions call for wearing shoes. The elastic band allows them to be slipped on and off easily. The perforated leather helps keep the top of the foot cool and overall the shoes are very comfortable.

I look forward to future products from Soft Star Shoes and hope that the next versions of the RunAmoc have thinner insole (or none at all), a more natural foot shape in the toe area, and adjustments around the ankle to keep the foot from sliding forward.