Huaraches
Are Mexican Huaraches Running Shoes Right for You?
Not too many years ago, the idea of running any real distance huaraches or Mexican sandals would have seemed ludicrous.
However, thanks to the book Born to Run by Christopher McDougall, a whole generation of runners have been told that the greatest long distance runners of all time -- the Tarahumara people who live in the Copper Canyon region of the Sierra Madre Mountains of Mexico -- do just that. (Rarámuri is their own name for themselves.)
I recall reading about the Tarahumara/Rarámuri of Mexico many years ago, though not in great detail as not much is known of them. They live in a remote area of Northern Mexico. To appreciate just how remote, you have to read the sections of McDougall's book describing how difficult and tough the Copper Canyon terrain is, and how the Tarahumara/Rarámuri deliberately disguise their huts to look like part of the scenery.
The hobbits of Peter Jackson's Shire in The Lord of the Rings trilogy have designed their buildings to harmonize with nature. But you can tell they're there, and that some sentient beings live there.
The Tarahumara/Rarámuri take this several steps farther. It's possible to walk right through one of their villages and not even notice it.
Anyway, they regularly run long distances over terrain that is more like Mordor, but filled life - hostile life (leopards, poisonous snakes and so on), including going up and down mountain faces that would make most rock climbers whimper.
Every so often, they get together for a party/orgy where everybody gets smashed on corn beer, and the next day they play a game where they kick a ball for anywhere from fifty to two hundred miles (the precise distance negotiated between the teams).
The government of Mexico has twice attempted to bring Tarahumara/Rarámuri runners to the Olympics to win the marathon medal for Mexico, but it hasn't worked out well. Some of them did well in more recent distance running events. However, they're not interested in whatever fame and fortune could come from being ultramarathoners. They have corn crops to harvest, for one thing.
Huaraches are Mexican sandals that are worn by many throughout the country. Some of them use leather for the soles, others discarded tire rubber cut to fit their feet, using string or lace to hold it to their feet. That's apparently the common "fashion" among the Tarahumara/Rarámuri.
So now runners around the world are trying out not only the new style "minimalist" running shoes such as the Vibram Five Fingers, Nike Free and many others, but actual Mexican huarache sandal running shoes.
Or they're buying and making their own huaraches and sandals. Or they're modifying flip flops.
Huaraches are Similar to Flip Flops
I've thought about this myself. After all, flip flops are pretty similar to sandals. They're certainly minimalist. They do provide a rubber cushion to protect the skin of your feet from rough concrete, rocks and glass.
The big problem with flip flops is they're made for casual wear, not the demands of running any real distance. (I'm sure kids run short distances in them, of course.) They're not intended to survive over many miles of fast running.
The thong piece is set into the body of the rubber sole by a small button. I know from experience this can be pulled out by some pressure, such as trying to lift my foot while wading through thigh-high water left behind in the street by a typhoon. I doubt it would hold up while I was running wind sprints.
I have thought of gluing this piece in with super glue. That may work.
There's a video on Youtube of a guy who cut out the plastic and threaded some cord through the three holes to hold the sole to his feet. However, he made his video before actually running in them.
One problem with that is that you're relying on a knot not to come out the hole just like the rubber piece would. Or you could thread the cord through, but then your sole has an uneven surface - the cord as well as the rubber sole.
Tarahumara Huaraches are Now a Small Cottage Industry
There's a guy online selling huaraches made from lightweight, but durable modern materials.
http://www.invisibleshoe.com/
He claims they work, but they too rely on a knot to keep the laces attached to the sole. His site says that when the knot pulls through, just make a new one. Not what I want to stop my workout for. Or a race, if I were a racer.
I suspect that the solution is to keep the modern, durable materials (of course), and somehow make the laces so much a part of the sole that they'll last as long as it does. Yet it'd still have to be arranged so the cord could be adjusted for different feet.
And if you could stop me from stubbing my toe on a big rock or from somebody else stepping on my toes, I'd appreciate that too!
If anybody out there can design the perfect huaraches for running shoes, have at it.
Next: Vibram Five Fingers Minimalist Running Shoes -- Vibram Five Fingers are the most extreme of the new minimalist running shoes.