Published On:Tuesday, February 02, 2010

MANY persons are excited and eagerly preparing or waiting to participate in 'Marathon Bahamas' on February 14. My greatest concern is how ready are the feet of the participants? Choosing the right shoe and support, regardless of whether you are running or walking in a marathon, depends on a lot of factors.

The Best Shoes:

The best shoes depend on whether you are running or walking the marathon. For example, if you are walking the marathon, then you should purchase a 'walker-sneaker' because the pressures on the foot would be very different than if you were running. Similarly, if you are running the marathon, you would select a running shoe. Marathon shoes are built extra strong, durable, sturdy and highly responsive to the terrain you are running on. All of these attributes help with speed.

Finding the right shoe for your biomechanical needs:

There are many shoes built for marathon running nowadays. Among the top names are Brooks, Asics and New Balance. However, when addressing your biomechanical needs it is important that you know your feet type. There are three types of feet, namely flat feet, high- arched, and normal or medium-arched. All three types require different biomechanical support and control. The flat feet usually pronate, while the high-arched feet tend to supinate and the normal feet call for a neutral support. If you can't answer this question about your feet type, seek the help of a specialty footwear store where the expertise is available to properly assess your feet.

Protection against blisters and other skin related problem of the feet:

The use of a well made socks (e.g. Thorlos or Balega) that are padded in the forefoot and the heel area is also very important to the health and function of the foot. Such socks add protection to the feet against blisters and numbness. Another added benefit that these socks provide is wicking away of moisture, so there is absolutely no need to wear two pairs of socks. They also have cool max to control temperature.

Many sports related injuries occur as a result of extrinsic factors such as footwear and surfaces. Sprains, heel pain, interdigital neuroma, runners' knee and stress fractures of the foot are common results that runners and walkers suffer in relation to these factors.

What protection can be considered to avoid injuries?

Custom orthortics/inserts are specially made supportive devices that fit into your shoe and support your feet. When properly fitted in your shoes, the insert acts as an interface between the foot, the shoe and the ground. A custom made orthortic/insert is the ultimate solution to proper accommodation to support your feet. Not only do they help protect your feet from pain and deformity, they give you the edge in power and endurance!

The combination of the right shoes, inserts to protect your arches against stress, strain and excess pressures with the correct socks to provide protection against blister and numbness will give you the edge for the challenge ahead!

* Bernadette D. Gibson, a Board Certified & licensed Pedorthist, is the proprietor of Foot Solutions, a health and wellness franchise that focuses on foot care and proper shoe fit, located in the Sandyport Plaza, Nassau.

"The views expressed are those of the author and does not necessarily represent those of Foot Solutions Incorporated or any of its subsidiary and/or affiliated companies. Please direct any questions or comments to nassau@footsolutions.com or 327-FEET (3338).