Minimalist Shoes
Product 2019
Woman, Man
The minimalist shoe had its day, boosted by McDougall’s book Born to Run (3 million sales), but not everyone can be a Tarahumaras indian, and run forefoot with DIY sandals.
After too many calf injuries thanks to the zero drop, the cult has faded somewhat, but not disappeared. Some minimalist shoes have evolved to respond in a different way.
The Merrell Glove 5 appears to answer the problems that you can experience with minimalist shoes. The first is the damage from running on stony ground. The thin and flexible soles do not provide the necessary protection. The Merrell Glove 5 provides a reduced, yet reinforced sole. You can run on a track strewn with stones without hurting yourself. On really technical trails if your foot placement is not that precise your suffering is lessened.
The other problem experienced when running with minimalist shoes is their lack of tolerance in the foot strike: there is none. Your foot has a good roll or just slams on the ground. There isn’t any cushioning. The Merrell Glove 5 give a margin for error because they have some light cushioning that can bring you a little comfort or serenity. So you can get used to a fairly direct shoe, with some filtration.
Despite their light weight, 207g in 43, they are supple in all areas, torsional, front/rear, they give you the feeling that you are wearing real shoes. They have a stone guard, an arch support, and a serpent-like grip – that you have a tendency to underestimate.
The soft upper as no foot support, it just gives comfortable envelopment. So how do they feel? How is the proprioception? What is sure is that walking is extremely pleasant with the Merrell Glove 5: you are totally connected to the ground and therefore feel “safe”.
When you start to run, it’s another story because you quickly realize that a heel strike sends up shockwaves (admittedly they are cushioned a little by the sole) and so it is absolutely imperative to position yourself forward and run forefoot. It requires effort and consistency if you want to embark on a trail run. If you want to avoid injury, be progressive with your usage. Because, the Merrell Glove 5 has no drop: it is 11.5 millimeters at the front and 11.5 at the back. If you want more cushioning, but without opting for a traditional shoe, the Hoka One One Evo Rehi is a good alternative.
La Merrell Glove 5 is very comfortable, slipper-like and the materials are soft and flexible. You can wear them without socks, and maybe you should? They aren’t very breathable.
The toe-box is wide and a few folds appear on the sides.
They have classic flat laces, over a thin tongue that fulfils its mission protecting the instep. We also liked the fact that the heel is protected with the high-rising sole.
The Merrell Glove 5 is a good teaching tool for proprioception, forefoot running, and best used alternately with a classic running shoe. An everyday companion for rediscovering the virtues of a zero drop.
11.5 mm0 mm 
We used this equipment over a long period of time
These are our thoughts after intensive use:
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After a week of use developed pain in the midfoot. Previously using vivos for my low mileage runs, doing a low average of 2-5km a day every week. Bought these for the barefoot feel with more cushioning to save the impact my joints are bearing somewhat. I was very wrong, the arch is stiff and far too high. The arch being this high makes it difficult for my big toe to grip and extend. The midfoot is very narrow which also affected my running mechanics in a bad way. May be good as a transitional runner but from me