When was looking last year for Five Fingers shoes (not for running, just walking for me and my Wife) I have found a really great shop for runners. It’s called Amphibian King – http://amphibianking.ie.
I was really surprised when I have asked about running shoes they took my shoes and then took measurements of my foot length and width. That has happened to me for the first time. Of course Five Fingers were not advised and not really in demand (so not in the store) but back to the whole experience. I was asked if I’m sure that I want the minimalist shoes cause they are totally different to regular running shoes. After saying yes I was presented with choice of 15 pairs of shoes (from minimalist model to regular larger sole) and was asked to try each pair and do a small run on they in-store track (yes, they do have that in store). Have tried all of them, not all of them lasted to track running stage, weren’t comfortable straight away. So, I have spent 2 hours trying running shoes, people who knows me will be surprised by that fact (when buying something to wear I’m just going in choosing in 5 minutes, buying and leaving the store). Anyway, I chose these NB Minimus. Decided to give minimalistic model a chance. I don’t regret my choice at all but must say that won’t probably run in these in my first marathon.
I think that for the longer distances you need something with better cushioning and more foot stabilizer. That is why probably I will need to visit Amphibian King’s again before June the 2nd. Thinking about new shoes with supportive cushioning (some models http://amphibianking.ie/22-supportive-cushioning) but problem with these is, they are heavy. Comparing weight of my NB is about 6 oz where as the cushion ones are twice heavy. Maybe not much but when running it makes a huge difference, especially when on the long run.
Maybe some of you can suggest a good shoe model for marathon…