As most of you may know already LUNA sandals were created by Ted "barefoot" McDonald from "Born To Run" fame. He had a simple mission running minimal and pain free. His quest lead him to Caballo Blanco and the Tarahumara tribe in the Copper Canyon of Mexico. The Tarahumara used old pieces of tire and molded them into huarache sandals and strapped them on their feet. This is where the basic premise for these shoes came from. For more information read "Born To Run" by Chris McDougall. I highly recommend this book for any runner, recreational or competitive. Back to the Shoes!
I jumped on board the minimal express a few years back when it was all the rage. I owned some Vibram Five Fingers, Xero shoes, etc. I loved the concept of minimalism. I tried running in both of these other "minimal" shoes, but always ended up developing some sort of injury or issue. I am the kind of person who is all or nothing and I probably didn't take the right training plan to work these minimal shoes into my repertoire. I would last a few weeks and then revert back to my prior favorite "regular shoe". Fast forward a few years into the era of "maximalist" shoes, now everyone around us is saying that more is better. What are we supposed to believe??
I have adapted a different sort of idea. Why does it have to be one or the other. I enjoy my Luna Leadville sandals for runs less than 5 miles and as a secondary hiking shoe. I also enjoy running in maximalist shoes, eg. Hoka One One for longer runs. It really is the best of both worlds. As far as my time in my Luna Leadville sandals, I have greatly enjoyed these over previous "minimalist" shoes/sandals. I had been running the past year in many more zero-drop (the total distance in relation to the toe of the shoe vs. the heel), and I believe this made my transition to the Luna Leadville smoother than previous tries. I was able to run 5k+ the first day with little soreness noted.
Where I really saw a great advantage over other shoes was the compact nature and portability. I recently returned from a 17 day trek to Mt. Everest Base Camp and only brought two pairs of shoes. My Vasque hiking boots and my Luna Leadvilles. The hiking boots got me through the daily hike, but the Leadvilles were used for EVERYTHING else. I went for runs, recovery hikes, walks around the city. They were great and super easy to bring along with me as space in my pack was very limited. On the really cold days the Luna/Injinji combination was perfect! (also recieved a few compliments on looks, which I thought was weird as I was wearing socks with sandals!)
These sandals were perfect after a long day of tough hiking with boots on to give your feet some air and allow your skin to rest and breathe for the upcoming hard trekking days. I did experience some soreness in my sole of my foot after a few of the days, but this was very rocky/tough terrain and probably just need to toughen my feet up a bit. Overall purchasing these sandals was a great idea. I have a great shorter mileage trail shoe for now (hopefully longer runs once I adapt) and a great sandal for everyday use as well.
Pros:
-Compact and easy to bring along everywhere
-Great design with no hotspots from straps rubbing
-Simple design/Easy to use
-Work great with my Injinji Toe socks for those colder days
-Sole is thicker than many other running sandals to provide better protection (11mm Leadville Trail vs. 6mm Xero Contact)
Cons:
-Adaptation time takes awhile. Many give up before their stride evolves to barefoot running.
-Sole is thicker than many other running sandals to provide better protection (less minimal than other sandals out there)
-A little slipage from side to side when running on really rocky terrain
All in all this sandal is a great addition to any runners repertoire. With the right build up and usage I believe less overuse injuries will occur based on increased foot strength.
Would recommend to intermediate level runners with solid running background!
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