Who is the most accomplished runner to wear 5 Fingers?

I think the most accomplished VFF runner is a guy in my gym. I think he came close to breaking 4 hours in a "thon' and has even completed an Ironman. He gives all kinds of training advice and seems to be an expert on form.

I know a guy who has a 14:13 5K PR and does his easy runs in five fingers.

I know someone who has PRs of 14:06 and 29:15(ish) and does most of his runs barefoot / in five fingers. He's actually the only person I know personally who owns five fingers (off the top of my head).

I saw a guy cross the finish at the NYC Marathon in bare feet...in 5:01

Former Cal runner Mark Matusak (sub-4:00 miler, 3;39 1500-meter PR) walks around and does very easy runs in them.

feet wrote:

I saw a guy cross the finish at the NYC Marathon in bare feet...in 5:01

I saw a guy cross the finish at the NYC Marathon in shoes...in 8:12

Jeff Wells

http://www.marathon-training-program.com/jeff-wells-boston-marathon.html#jeff1

Never raced in them but he runs about 50 miles a week in them now. 99% of those miles are on soft trails. He still races in real shoes.

My Feet Ain't Meant For Runnin wrote:

feet wrote:

I saw a guy cross the finish at the NYC Marathon in bare feet...in 5:01

I saw a guy cross the finish at the NYC Marathon in shoes...in 8:12

But the arguement from the barefoot community is that it is better for you, helps you become a more efficient runner, and will improve times. Given that..I'll stick with shoes..

And wow that's quite a long time to be waiting for someone =)

Jeffs Wells was a very good runner, but obviously was not a VFF guy when he was fast. He was a fast guy who later wore VFFs, not a guy who used VFFs to get fast.

Using him as an example is like saying that Abebe Bikila was the greatest runner who was a quadriplegic.

Gotta be Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers. Although his 3:53 at the LA marathon in Vibrams may not set any records, he is very accomplished (primarily as a musician).

the fastest person i know who runs primarily in vibrams runs about 18:00 for a 5k, or at least he did at his peak in college. seriously i see all these crazy vibram schmucks who are usually between 20-80 pounds overweight thinking that vibrams will solve all their problems. maybe they should just try losing some weight. vibrams dont make you faster at all.

I passed one at NYC around maybe mile 22. He was limping. I couldn't help but think wearing VFFs contributed to it. I can't imagine his pain if he chose to stick it out for those last 4 miles.

Jeffs Wells was a very good runner, but obviously was not a VFF guy when he was fast. He was a fast guy who later wore VFFs, not a guy who used VFFs to get fast.

Using him as an example is like saying that Abebe Bikila was the greatest runner who was a quadriplegic.

That's not what the OP question says. I'm sure that was his intention but none the less, not what he/she asked.

However, your response is very funny and is worth the mention and a score of at least a 9 using the Dancing with the Stars scoring system.

Tim Mulligan, raced 1525 and 1540 on the roads in them...

I've trained with the AA PIAA state champ he trains nearly exclusively in 5 fingers. So pretty solid accomplishment

feet wrote:

But the arguement from the barefoot community is that it is better for you, helps you become a more efficient runner, and will improve times. Given that..I'll stick with shoes..

And wow that's quite a long time to be waiting for someone =)

I hadn't heard minimalists say that racing in vibrams will make you run faster. Improve your form (yes), makes you more effecient (yes), improve your foot strength (yes) and help reduce injury (yes, if you can avoid stress fractures).

I'm open to the idea that Vibrams can help with the above and can be a worthwhile training tool, but when it comes to racing and attaining the best time, a pair of shoes are going to be neccessary as you lengthen your stride and pound the pavement harder than usual.

Lately I'm only seeing five fingers on guys at the gym, in the weight room. The fad for runners must be tapering off.

Harry Summers of Sydney,Australia. Runs 100 mile a week in vibrams, sub 30 10km, 14:10 5k, bench pressees 110kg and has been to jail twice.... badass dude.

He ran the LA Marathon in Saucony Kinvaras. Said he wore Vibrams in a half but later switched when he got injured.

Flea wrote:

Gotta be Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers. Although his 3:53 at the LA marathon in Vibrams may not set any records, he is very accomplished (primarily as a musician).