Merrell Barefoot Dash Glove Review: Barefoot Shoes for Women

This is the first of two new reviews from Moira, who is not new to running but IS new to running in barefoot shoes.  As she was facing cancer, she inspired me to start running in the first place. Now that she is out there training for her own running and racing, she decided to step up to the plate and review some female-specific running product for Average Guy Hits the Road! Take it away, Moira!

I am new to minimal or “barefoot” running, but I've been interested in giving it a try given that I live with Zak, an enthusiastic barefoot running proponent. I have a practical reason for giving it a try too: last year I had pledged to run in a half marathon for charity but I had to abandon my effort because of some foot pain most runners never have to deal with.  My foot pain wasn’t plantar fasciitis, tendonitis, or any other of the usual running injuries…my foot pain was due to neuropathy from my cancer treatment. (I ran a 5k instead and met my fundraising goal, thankfully!)

Neuropathy is nerve damage, which usually affects the hands or the feet, and while my cancer treatment ended over two years ago, my left foot still becomes numb.  I had a hard time standing or walking for long periods of time, and that began to weigh on me because it wasn't improving. Zak suggested I try a minimal shoe, for the increased ground feel, to combat this problem, so I bought a pair of Stems (now known as Lemings) last fall and I really liked the way they felt. They are lightweight with a nice broad toe box, but it took a little while to get used to them. I was used to wearing Saucony Kinvaras, which provided lots of arch support, or my dressier work shoes that also provided that support. Of course, the Kinvaras are a more level, more minimal shoe than most regular running shoes, but they are still heavily-cushioned. Once January rolled around I thought that I'd maybe take another stab at a half marathon, and I decided to try incorporating a pair of barefoot running shoes into my training and see what happens.

Luckily at that same time, Zak had been talking to Merrell (he recently reviewed Merrell's Road Gloves) about their upcoming models, and they were eager to provide me with a pair of their Dash Glove for review. These shoes looked amazing out of the box (in contrast to the Stems/Lemings, which are cute but they have a homemade look to them.) I got what Merrell calls their “Ultra Marine” color way, which is actually purple and pink.  They are definitely bold and athletic looking. I love a pink that doesn’t scream “Barbie.”

The Dash Gloves have a nice secure feel through the arch and a little bit of arch support, which I kind of crave and typically gravitate toward. I have narrow feet and high arches so it feels really comfortable, so I didn't want a completely flat-soled shoe (I am new to barefoot and minimal running, after all). The toe box is generous. They lace up nicely and the laces don’t come undone while running. I am a novice shoe reviewer, but I can say that the feel inside the shoe is excellent too- they are definitely made for running without socks. The inside of the shoe is smooth and there aren’t any spots where you could have rubbing or have blisters form.

I took a Good Form Running class at PR Fitness, given by Mike Anderson (another of Zak's guest reviewers) of EliteFeet in Brighton and I wore my Dash Gloves to the class. Trying the new-to-me style of running felt natural in these shoes, and I've taken them for a few regular runs around my neighborhood over the last few weeks. I am really enjoying the shoes, and the running as well, which would have left my foot feeling lifeless and dead after just a few days of running in my old shoes. I don’t think that these shoes “healed” my neuropathy, it may take more years for that to happen, but I do feel like these shoes give my foot a chance to move naturally and breathe a little, increasing their ability to sense the environment around them, reducing the numbing sensation. I used feel like I was limping after wearing more substantial, cushioned running shoes and they would honestly feel like they held my foot in a lead boot while I walked or ran. These Merrells are lightweight but supportive, they help me run in a way that doesn’t hurt my feet as much, and I'm looking forward to trying out these for longer runs as I build up toward my next big race!


From Zak: Merrell has a lot of new information and resources in the pipeline for female barefoot running enthusiasts.  Stay tuned to Average Guy to hear about an all-new female barefoot lifestyle website, and for Moira's review of the cute Wonder Glove casual shoe.  By the way, the Dash Glove is available locally at Elite Feet Brighton, and they also ship nationally.  

Merrell provided the Dash Glove free of charge for review purposes.