| In a popular New York Times Magazine article this | | | | most people don't realize is that the bottom of your |
| year, Adam Sternbergh makes the claim that "You | | | | foot is constantly in motion, conforming to natural |
| Walk Wrong" It's a fascinating article that we highly | | | | terrain and aligning the body with every step. That |
| recommend. Sternbergh explains and sheds some | | | | action just doesn't work well on pavement, and it's |
| light on the biomechanical issues that ALINE holds | | | | disabled by most shoes. |
| dear. | | | | ALINE's goal is to provide an interface that allows the |
| But there is a problem... Mr. Sternbergh, like many | | | | foot to move in a natural way, especially on the |
| well-intentioned barefoot advocates, fails to notice | | | | hard, flat surfaces where we live, work and play. First |
| the 500 lb. Sasquatch in the room: its name is | | | | off, your ankle and knee alignment improves |
| PAVEMENT. | | | | dramatically as soon as you stand on an ALINE. And |
| Feet have been evolving for 4-5 million years and are | | | | once you start moving, ALINE's BFAST suspension |
| wonders of biomechanical engineering. They are | | | | lets your foot move naturally no matter what terrain |
| well-suited for moving over the variable, natural | | | | you're on. |
| terrain that humans encountered for 99.9999% of | | | | Want proof? OK. ALINE athletes (who we don't pay |
| their evolution. | | | | to wear our insoles!) have won over a dozen |
| Start pounding those same feet on hard, flat asphalt | | | | X-Games medals in various sports, three PGA Tour |
| (or marble, tile, concrete, wood, you name it), and | | | | events, several mountain biking national |
| they break down quickly. Most shoes only add to the | | | | championships, and much more. More importantly, we |
| problem, for the reasons discussed by Sternbergh. | | | | get love letters daily from average people who can't |
| And just for kicks, throw in an adult foot that's been | | | | thank us enough. |
| severely compromised by years of abuse and is now | | | | The bottom line? The shoe problems that lead people |
| expected to go run barefoot... on pavement. Disaster. | | | | to go barefoot are very real. But for modern feet in |
| We started ALINE based on many decades of | | | | the modern world, ALINE is just better than |
| combined experience in sports and biomechanics, and | | | | barefoot. |
| we understand foot function better than most. What | | | | |