Running Reform is the website of Dr. Kevin Maggs D.C. He is a chiropractor of 16 years, Director for Active Release Technique for the REV3 Triathlons, and an endurance athlete. Running Reform has a wealth of knowledge for athletes of all levels. You can follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
It was good to see someone recognize and acknowledge this often overlooked characteristic of the SKORA R01 design:
One aspect of the shoe which I love is the lack of medial, lateral and posterior flaring on midsole. In fact, SKORA Form has a negative flare for the midsole. I’m not sure who had the bright idea many years ago, but the thought on conventional running shoes was that if you flared the midsole outward on the medial, lateral and posterior aspects, it would create stability for the runner. Many “minimal” shoes still have these big flares outward in the midsoles.
Unfortunately, this outward flare has its consequences. If we look at proper running mechanics, initial foot strike (whether you’re a heel, midfoot or forefoot striker) should occur in a slightly supinated position, meaning that the lateral aspect of the shoe/foot contacts the ground first.
As shown in the picture below, this lateral flaring increases the lever arm to the center of frontal plane rotation for the foot/ankle. It also causes the lateral aspect of the shoe to strike the ground prematurely. Effectively , this produces excessive initial subtalar pronation as shown in this study.