Rules for when to use racing flats for a marathon

[Jon Schap]

Hey Everyone,

I wanted to get your thoughts on whether or not it makes sense to wear racing flats for a marathon.  Are there certain guidelines to follow (i.e. estimated finishing time, weight, history of injuries, etc.). 

I am looking to BQ (sub 3:05:00) at the Philly Marathon in November and am thinking wearing lighter shoes could help shave a few minutes off my time compared to wearing my trainers for the race.  The flats I wear have a moderate stability function (Saucony Fastwitch 5).  I am 6'1" and currently weight 173 (I plan to weigh 170 for the race) and I have had a history of nagging injuries in my right foot (arch, tendonitis).  I have never attempted a run longer than a half marathon in my flats, but that went well when I did so back in Septemer.

I am thinking I will try my final 20 mile training run in these shoes in a few weekends and see how it goes.

Anyone out there with a similar build and pace have success with flats for a marathon?

[Jake Krong]

Jon - I think you're fine going w/ flats. The FT is a good choice - it has a little more support and cushion than other very minimal flats. Even if you get in a 16-18 miler in them and feel fine, I'd say you're good to go.

[Jon Allen]

Some previous discussion on the topic: http://fastrunningblog.com/forum/index.php/topic,614.0.html

[Sasha Pachev]

My rule on when to wear Crocs in a marathon or any other race - every single time. So if it can be run in Crocs it can be run in racing flats.

I do think that shoes are overrated. The shoe companies are doing a good job of propagating the belief, of course. Granted, a marathon in army boots will be slower than in running shoes. But as long as it is a running shoe of some kind, or even not technically a running shoe but something light that allows you to feel the surface, bends with your foot and stays on (Croc) there is not a whole lot of variance in performance. If you have a foot abnormality some shoes may not work. But a healthy foot can run in any shoe or if the surface is reasonably soft in no shoe at all with more or less the same results.

If anything, the job of a shoe is to remain out of the picture as much as possible and let the legs do the work without interference. This, of course, is at a philosophical conflict with trying to sell the shoe at a high markup price.

[Jake Krong]

If anything, the job of a shoe is to remain out of the picture as much as possible and let the legs do the work without interference. This, of course, is at a philosophical conflict with trying to sell the shoe at a high markup price.

Very true. If you finish a race and can't think of anything to say about your footwear choice, then you made a good choice.