A man has run a marathon in under two hours.
1:59:30.
Forty-two kilometers at a pace most of us could not hold even downhill, with the wind at our back and a dog chasing us.
The runner was Sabastian Sawe, in London 2026, and he did it in a pair of Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3: under 100 grams, reactive foam and a carbon structure.
Adidas presented it as a new era in running. And it probably is.
But then Raúl, a blog reader, wrote to me with an interesting thought: even Adidas seems to have understood that reinforcing the heel was not the answer.
And that is where the trap is.
Because the problem with modern footwear is not just the heel. The problem is the whole package: narrow toe box, stiff sole, drop, too much cushioning, artificial control and zero sensitivity.
In other words: a shoe that decides for the foot.
One thing is running fast.
A very different thing is having healthy, functional feet.
Do not confuse an elite tool with a good everyday solution.
Sawe's Adidas are a technological beast. And I say that without irony. They are pure engineering.
Every gram is deliberate. Every millimeter of foam has a purpose. But the fact that an elite athlete can run faster for 42 kilometers has nothing to do with restoring the natural function of the foot.
I would not confuse them with foot health, minimalism or barefoot. They are a competition tool. Nothing more.
When you spend years wearing shoes that cushion, correct, support and restrict, the foot stops working the way it should.
First the toes stop spreading.
Then the arch stops participating.
Then the ankle becomes clumsy.
And you end up believing your foot is naturally weak.
You need more support.
More cushioning.
Sometimes an insole.
And you end up depending on foam, plastic and marketing.
In fact, with footwear the opposite of what many people believe happens: the more external technology you give to a foot that already works very little, the less reason that foot has to wake up.
Barefoot footwear is not about winning races or performing magic.
It is about letting a sleeping foot participate again.
Letting your toes have room. Letting your ankle move. Letting the sole read the ground. Not filtering everything through a huge layer of foam.
If some people end up running faster, great. But not because the barefoot shoe pushes them forward. Because their feet start working again.
A super shoe tries to make the material work for you.
A barefoot shoe tries to make your foot do the work.
Most of us do not need a shoe to run a marathon in under two hours.
We need something much humbler, but far more important: a shoe for that random Tuesday when you go training after eight hours sitting down.
For that day when you get to the gym with a stiff back, sleepy feet and your head still stuck in the email you did not answer.
For that first kilometer when your body feels like an old rusty door.
That is where the Vivobarefoot Primus Flow comes in.
There is no spring under the heel to make you feel like you are flying. This is a different story.
A shoe designed to let you spread your toes, flex, feel the ground and move with more control in a stride, a squat, a plank, a lateral movement or a pace change.
Some people call that connection. Vivobarefoot called it Flow. I call it taking the bubble wrap off the shoe.
A barefoot shoe for training and running with more freedom of movement and better ground connection.
Designed for people who want to train, run and move without the shoe deciding for their foot.
Not necessarily. A shoe designed to extract the maximum from an elite athlete is not automatically the best option for someone who sits for hours, walks little or has an untrained foot.
A super shoe aims to add external performance through materials. A barefoot shoe aims to give the foot its role back: more room, more movement, more sensitivity and less interference.
Yes. It is designed for running, gym work and varied movement where it helps if the foot participates more and the shoe does not limit natural mobility.
It can help a lot because it gives the toes room, improves mobility and brings sensitivity back to the foot. That said, the transition should be done sensibly, especially if you come from many years of heavily cushioned or stiff shoes.
Final verdict
Do not confuse a shoe built to crush race times with a shoe built to care for your feet. If you want to recover function, mobility and natural feel, the direction is not toward more foam: it is toward more foot.
Absolutely.
Health starts in your feet.
Antonio Caballo.
Vivobarefoot Primus Flow deliver total freedom: thin, flexible sole, recycled mesh upper and a true barefoot feel.
Zero drop and a wide toe box let your feet work naturally, adding real stability to every step.
Light and breathable, ideal for training, easy road runs and all-day urban movement in comfort.
Vivobarefoot Primus Flow deliver total freedom: thin, flexible sole, recycled mesh upper and a true barefoot feel.
Zero drop and a wide toe box let your feet work naturally, adding real stability to every step.
Light and breathable, ideal for training, easy road runs and all-day urban movement in comfort.
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