CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The latest craze to hit Charlotte's fitness fanatics is called "barefoot running." But it's really running with sock-like shoes called Vibram Five Fingers.
"When you run you don't get bored as much," said Brett Bumeter, who wears the shoes. "It's like having an instant tough callous on your feet."
"It's the closest thing to being barefoot and still have something on," said Bill Bartee, owner of Jessie Browns.
Bartee said his store can barely keep the shoes on the shelves.
"In the past one year they've definitely taken over the active lifestyle running market," Bartee said.
The store recently received a shipment that was ordered in December.
"They're hard to get and hard to keep in stock," Bartee said.
So what's the big deal?
"It's like a playground for your feet," Bumeter said.
Some say these Five Fingers are a way to free your feet.
"A lot will argue this is reverting back to what we've done forever and ever," said Dr. Carroll Jones, a foot and ankle surgeon with OrthoCarolina.
There's some evidence the shoes could be good for you.
"There's information coming now that barefoot running is lower impact when the foot hits the ground than traditional running. The theory there would be lower injury," Jones said.
But if you're thinking of taking the barefoot plunge, do it carefully.
"The biggest problem we're seeing is runners transitioning too quickly from traditional running to barefoot running," Jones said. "The injuries we are seeing are runners that are doing it too quickly."
Jones said you should learn the technique of wearing the Five Fingers -- use a track or flat surface to start.
For more information, visit http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/.
