If you haven't seen Jon Rajewski's running shoes before chances are, you will soon.
Minimalist running shoes mimic the feeling of running barefoot which is becoming increasingly popular among runners.
"If they get wet they don't rub like a normal sneaker does. It forces me not to do any over pronation which affects all kinds of muscles in your body," said Rajewski.
Experts agree there are definite benefits to running with as little as possible on your feet.
"It teaches you how to hit the ground with a softer impact," said Andy Bowen, who co-owns Green Mountain Running Medicine Shop.
That's important considering your feet can strike the ground 1,000 times in just one mile.
But Rajewski isn't planning on running just one mile.
He will wear these next to nothing shoes on Sunday when he competes in the Key Bank Vermont City Marathon.
Experts say very few runners are strong enough to run barefoot over long distances such as a marathon.
"You might lead to skin break down and blisters, and when you lead to blisters you might start to alter your mechanics and start to compensate, and that's where things start to go awry," said Bowen.
That's why foot doctors say they're seeing an increase in patients, and say in this age if hi tech footwear, most people aren't born to run barefoot.
"It personally doesn't concern me. These shoes are working for me," said Rajewski.
Some of the more common problems foot doctors see with barefoot runners are stress fractures and heel problems.
It's important to remember that if you are considering going barefoot, you need to start out slowly and ease your way into it. Comment Agreement
