How to Select the Sole Thickness for Your Huarache Running Sandals

Huarache running sandals, often referred to as barefoot running sandals, are really minimalist footwear designed to  provide a good barefoot to ground feel with the least amount of restriction to your foot and ankle movement. Out of all the minimalist footwear that I have seen only the Huaraches fully meet the minimalist requirement of no restriction to the foot and ankle movement. The barefoot to ground feel is determined more by how thick the sole material is and the type of sole material you use.

The Tarahumara Indians of the Copper Canyon in northern Mexico are famous for their ultra-running capabilities, running hundreds of miles in their homemade Huaraches made from old tires. They simply used the material that was available to them for the very rugged rocky terrain that they run in. Fortunately for those of us who do not regularly run in this rugged and rocky environment, there is a great selection of different modern materials and thickness to select from.

So how do you go about making the selection of sole thickness and material? Since I have no experience with a leather sole as of yet, the following guidelines refer to rubber sole material and thickness that are available through several internet sites (mine included) both as a do it yourself kit or as a die cut or handmade finished product.

Guidelines:

1)      When choosing a minimalist running or walking sandal you should first consider the current condition of your bare feet. Are they already conditioned to going barefoot or are you just getting started.

2)      Where do you like to do most of your running or walking? Is it on a track, sidewalk, pavement, grass, packed down dirt or wooded trails or rugged rocky trails?

3)      How far do you like to run/walk? A couple of miles or greater distances?

4)      What type of weather conditions will you be out in? Will it be wet or dry, hot or cold? The surface temperature and condition will come into play here.

Once you are able to answer these few questions, it will be a lot easier for you to make a selection. You simply match the current condition of your bare feet with the type terrain you will be covering, the weather conditions you will be out in for distance you plan to travel. Sounds simple enough, but it does require you to give it some serious thought.

The general rule of thumb is that the thinner and more flexible the sole material is, the greater the barefoot to ground feel gets with less protection. This includes feeling surface temperatures as well as ground contour and texture. The thicker sole material provides more protection with slightly less barefoot to ground feel.

For example, if you choose an ultra-thin Huarache for the greatest barefoot to ground feel, that is exactly what you will get. Running on hot pavement with these may not be what you want as you will most certainly feel the heat. A thicker soled Huarache would be a better choice for these conditions. The same holds true with colder surface temperatures. So if you have ultra-thins during very hot conditions you may want to stay on packed dirt or grassy trails so the bottoms of your feet do not burn or during colder weather you may want to run on pavement to keep your feet warm.

Although I have seen some barefoot runners take on wooded trails in their bare feet, mine always find the hidden acorn, walnut or rock, so I opt to wear my thicker sole huaraches when running to better protect my feet and my ultra-thins when walking these trails so I can really connect to the ground. On rocky trails or longer distances, I stick with the thicker sole and change back to my ultra-thins when I am done.

I have also found that the stronger and better conditioned my feet have become that I can wear my ultra-thins in more areas than when I first started. It used to kill me to walk on gravel areas with the ultra-thins but now it hardly phases me. Again, you have to match the condition of your feet with the terrain you are traveling to select the right sole thickness for you. I learned this the hard way.

When I first started wearing minimalist footwear it was with the ultra-thin model and I took it to fast and on terrain that was to rugged for my poor conditioned feet. I learned quickly to choose safer trails until I made a thicker sole Huarache for the more rugged trails that I liked.

Another option that you have is to add a leather footbed to your Huarache’s. These not only add an extra layer of thickness, insulation and feel but help to absorb moisture from the bottom of your feet. So many different choices to make, what do you do?

 My solution was simple. I simply made two pairs of the Vibram 1mm thick ultra-thins and two pair of the Vibram 4mm thick Cherry sole Huaraches. One of each I kept as a bare top and the other two with the suede footbed giving me the perfect selection for any type of running I plan to do. For the terrain I can choose from either the 1 to 2mm thick ultra-thins or the 4 to 5mm thick cherry sole Huaraches. If I am running in wet weather or expect to go thru puddles I wear the bare tops as they take only a short time to dry as I am running. If I am running in dry areas I like to wear the leather tops to help absorb moisture from my feet. The 4mm thick soles with leather also provide that little extra protection for rocky trails as well.

I have found that the above selection will meet most requirements but I am eager to test out other materials as well at different thicknesses. To that end I have ordered a few new materials that I will start testing in September. I will keep you posted on my progress, good or bad. In the mean time I will continue to offer the only custom made 1mm ultra-thin Huarache on the market as well as the classic Vibram 4mm Huarache from my website. Happy trails.

To learn more about Ron G’s custom made Huaraches, please visit my Web Site at: www.allwaysbarefootsandals.com.

If you liked this article, please share it with your friends.