GO ASIA TRAIL

In this issue, we discuss the running sandals that are currently popular in the Taiwanese running community.

Running sandals are often associated with ready-made products such as Luna sandals and Xero shoes, as well as handmade Walachi and MAN SANDALS. In Japan, starting with the first edition of "Born to Run: Ultrarunners vs. The minimalist shoes that minimized cushioning to the utmost limit were the rage for a while. The Luna sandal and the Wallach running sandal were born as part of this boom.

https://amzn.to/3MLtBfi

Today, maximalist shoes such as HOKA ONE ONE and Nike's vaporfly have become mainstream, but there are still a certain number of running sandal enthusiasts who wear them.

In fact, I still run in handmade MAN SANDLS and Vibram Fivefingers, along with Decathlon running shoes. And sometimes I run barefoot as well. I think this is still important for optimizing form and is very good for a change of pace.

Now for the main focus of this article: running sandals from Taiwan.

It was a few months ago that I heard about the popularity of a certain manufacturer's running sandals in Taiwan. A friend of mine, who is also an Asian trail runner, told me about them. The sandals are made by a Taiwanese shoe manufacturer called Longfeng Development Co. In Taiwan, they are branded as " mother and child crocodiles" (pronounced "moo-z-e-ayu," which translates to "mother and child crocodiles").

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iui_293Y7Qo&t=14s

These running sandals have been sold in Taiwan for several years, and the number of users has been increasing over the past year or two. statistics on running shoe brands for the 2020 Taipei Marathon are available, and they are the fourth most popular, behind Nike, Asics, and Adidas. Nike is still very popular for its Vaporfly, but it has surpassed Mizuno and New Balance.

Reasons given for choosing these sandals include, "Normal shoes cause my nails to discolor black, but these don't," "I don't have knee pain anymore when I wear these sandals," and "Lightweight," but I personally feel there is something more to them.

Now, these Taiwanese running sandals have recently become available in Japan as well. KOBE Honpo has become a distributor of Longfeng Kaihatsu and started to carry them in Japan. Currently, they mainly sell through their online store, but they regularly hold try-on sessions and running events in Osaka and Hyogo prefectures.

https://twitter.com/2UFdD4D5S3UcXz5/status/1732529962706673930

Now that I have obtained a pair of these running sandals, I would like to give a casual review.

First of all, the sizing, my feet are 26cm on the left and 25.8cm on the right, with a foot width of 4E, and I got in at 25.5cm. The size is a matter of preference, but even at 25.5cm, there is a bit of room (on bare feet). When you start wearing them, the nose strap hurts a little, but you will get used to them as you run.

When I actually ran in them, I felt they were running sandals that I could really run in.

They have cushioning, but when you pick up speed, they have resilience and can go fast. The heel counter makes it difficult to slip them on. If I were to compare it to something familiar, it would be Crocs. It is similar to the feeling of running in Crocs. It would be like tuning these for running. Personally, I am concerned about the slight blurring when landing, but since these are made of simple EVA, I think this is an unavoidable part of the process (it may be a matter of getting used to it).

When you think of running sandals, you probably associate them with a sole that has been stripped down to the bare minimum, but they really feel like a running sandal that can be worn by everyone. The cushioning is high, so these running sandals are OK for first-time wearers of running sandals, and they are also OK for runners who are aiming for a record.

Another attraction is the price. The ones I am wearing with a heel counter cost 2,980 yen including tax. There are quite a few brands of running sandals that are handmade and can lightly cost more than 10,000 yen. Mother and Child Fish, if you watch the video of the manufacturing process, is manufactured by pressing with a machine, so the manufacturing cost is low.

Also, the most important factor, these sandals make running feel fun. They are not just running sandals for training or competition, but feel like you can quickly put them on and go for a run whenever you feel like it.

With ordinary running shoes, you have to do some preparation such as tying shoelaces and putting on socks, but with these Taiwanese running sandals, you don't have to do that at all. You can run casually, use them for everyday wear, or even use them for competitions, and they seem to blend in with the rest of your life. This may be the reason for their popularity among Taiwanese runners.

By the way, these sandals are Made in Taiwan. It would be less costly to manufacture these kinds of sandals in mainland China, but it seems that they are manufactured in Taiwan for quality reasons.

In conclusion, I am happy to be able to talk a little about running in Asia, even though it is still difficult to travel abroad due to the prolonged new coronavirus.