One reader of my blog “Thayne” wanted to know how much traction Vibram Five Finger KSO’s have. Well since it has been raining and muddy here in St. George I can give you a clear answer. NONE! In mud they are like ice skating. In fact I would rather run barefoot than in Fives on muddy course conditions. Your toes can dig in. However having said that, if it is smooth surfaces, rocks, pavement, concrete, boat surfaces, yes I would say they are sticky. The inventor of the Five Finger set out to build a shoe that would perform well on boat decks and mimic being barefoot. For muddy conditions you need a shoe that can handle mud.
I am standing in my backyard (January 2010) after a mud run and having a blast. Yes those are shoes. My foot had split in three places, barefoot running in mud was out of the question, and so I threw on my old trusty Solomon GTX trail shoes (inserts removed) on. To much fun…
It takes me back to the glory days of Friday Fun Runs in the Marine Corps, except I was covered in mud from head to toe. Yep! good memories both now and then. Urrugah!
Michael Carroll
You should try the KSO Trek… I ran a lot in KSO’s when they came out. I ran through the woods near the Catskills in NY and they performed pretty well but the only good spill I took was on mud.
The Trek however, was AWESOME in the mud. I even took it to the same spot I fell to test them and it was great. They have a cleated bottom similar to that on a like hiking boot.
Sweet. Looking forward to get a pair in my hands. Thanks for the comment and the info.
Michael Carroll
Good info – I look forward to KSO Trek review, if it comes before I buy. Still cold slushy mud up here in the mountains/foothills of Utah County, so haven’t started the BF transition outdoors.
–happy running–
thayne
Yes me too! Thanks for the post.
Michel Carroll