shoes - Freet Leap 4+1

Shoes are always a problem for me. I have large, very wide feet, I prefer shoes as minimal as possible and my choice of running terrain is fells & moorland. My choice criteria are:

• fit & comfort
• grip
• durability

That makes for a rather specific set of requirements, which is difficult to fulfil.

Fell running is hard on shoes. They're constantly wet, rubbed against rocks & coarse dry heather stems, soaked in acidic peat. Contouring and steep climbs/descents put a strain on the uppers. Fell running often crosses over into ultra-running which means shoes get used for long distances, very frequently.

Recently I stumbled across 'Freet'. I think I saw them on a summary of different types of barefoot shoes. At the time they were selling off last years stock at a very substantial discount, so I thought it was worth a go.

I ordered online on Friday, and they turned up on the following Thursday. Friday morning I wore them around the house to make sure they fit ok.

First impressions: I have never worn shoes this comfortable before. By early afternoon I'd ordered a second pair for everyday wear in the summer as an alternative to my Xero shoes.

I took them for a run to/from work Tuesday. So far they seem better suited to my needs than anything else I've tried.

Grip: Good mud/fell grip in barefoot shoes is tricky. Studs can be uncomfortable under foot, but grooved 'tread' clogs up very quickly. The Freets have something in between, mostly tread, but with blocky sections under the ball and toes. Trying it out on mud/grass, the combination seems to be good. It's the closest thing I've felt to the marketing cliche of the foot with tyre tread on it. The tread doesn't seem to clog easily and the flex of the soles/split big toe shoves the grippy bit into the ground on foot strike.

 

Yes, I do wash my running shoes in the shower; and yes, I do live alone.

The compound seems to be softer under the ball and harder towards the outer toes, which led to me skittering on rocks once or twice, but the grip is certainly at least as good as any other barefoot off road shoe I've tried, possibly better. Infinitely better than the Merrell trail glove, which is comfortable but very slippy on mud.

Comfort: I got a little chafing on my (hammer) little toes over the course of 20km. That will ease I think. They fit closely and well, my foot doesn't move around in them, and they slide on and off easily. They were comfortably warm on a dry morning with a temperature of 5C.

Durability: I rinse my shoes in the shower after every run, then leave them to dry. The Freets dry very quickly and came clean easily. According to the leaflet that came with them, you can throw them in the washing machine at 30C, which I may do occasionally.
Obviously 20km is too soon to say on the longer term durability. I'll update with any information once I've done some distance.

 

Sizing: I'm a 47 (UK 12.5) in most shoes (except Merrell, where I need a 48) with wide feet. Size 47 Leap fit me perfectly.

Addition: On a later run on much gnarlier ground (see High Cup Nick) the grip was excellent on tussock and open moor, and my feet were toasty warm in foul wet conditions with a wind chill of -8. I had a couple of slidy moments on wet mud & grass on Dufton Pike, but no worse than I have with Vivo Neo Trails.