Surefoot now offers running shoes

On the heels of last week’s inaugural Mammoth Half Marathon, and just weeks before the June Lake Triathlon (another event with a large running component), I was tipped off to a new addition to town — running shoe availability at Surefoot in the Village at Mammoth.

Long known for its custom ski boots and orthotics, Surefoot will now keep its doors open during the summer months with offerings of name-brand running shoes such as Brooks, New Balance, Saucony, Salomon and Hoka (those crazy running shoes that look like fat pillows for your feet), as well as ski boots (if you’d like to check those off your list in the off-season).

“The guys [Bob and Russ Shay] who own Surefoot bought several running shoe stores,” said local Mammoth Store Manager Todd Koenig of the new addition this year. Those stores include Super Runners, FrontRunners, as well as three New Balance stores located in Pasadena, Torrance and Santa Monica.

“It’s a great way to bridge the gap between seasons,” Koenig said. Usually Surefoot closes its doors for summer.

And it’s also a great way to bring the orthotic technology Surefoot is known for in ski boots to the realm of running shoes.

While not everyone wants or needs orthotics for their running shoes, Surefoot provides the option using the same Amfit technology used to create Surefoot Custom Orthotics for ski boots.

In order to understand the technology and the benefits of orthotics, Koenig walked me through the entire process, from foot scan to final product.

The process begins when customers step onto the Digitizer, an Amfit foot-scanner. Your fitting specialist, in my case Koenig who has been with Surefoot for 10 years and as Manager for seven, positions your foot in different angles testing your flexibility and range of motion in your foot, ankle and calf areas.

“Using this [the Digitizer] we can play around a little more [with your foot],” Koenig said of the technology Surefoot uses versus some of the more traditional methods. Once things are positioned and weighted just right, pressure-sensitive rubber pegs rise out of the Digitizer to scan your foot to the nearby computer — a sensation a bit like sticking your hand in a Pin Art toy.

Surefoot Store Manager Todd Koenig demonstrates the orthotic process.

Once your foot is scanned, you’re in the web-based system and your file can be pulled up at any Surefoot store, or any of the running shoe stores associated with Surefoot. Here in Mammoth, the next step was to pull out some unformed orthotics, made of high density Ethylene Vinyl Acetate or EVA (rather than cork) and take them in the back to the “Miller,”which is what the guys at Surefoot call the in-sole fabrication machine. The foot scan on the Digitizer’s computer also pulls up on the computer attached to the Miller. The unformed orthotic is then placed inside the Miller where a rough formation is made, custom to the individual’s foot.

Once pulled out, the orthotic is cleaned off and taken to the grinder where it is further refined. A final little touch up with a hand grinder and the addition of a top sole, and the orthotic is ready to be fitted to your shoe for your running pleasure.

While an orthotic in a ski boot is helpful to keep your foot rigid, the orthotic in a running shoe is a bit different.

“You don’t want to be as rigid in a running shoe as a ski boot,” Koenig said. “You want more flexibility when running.” For this reason, Surefoot uses a softer EVA for the running shoe orthotics.

He explained that the benefits of orthotics in running shoes are helping injury prevention as well as injury recovery. The stability that comes with an orthotic helps prevent common running issues such as plantar fasciitis, which occur from overpronation, Koenig explained.

When already injured, an orthotic helps stabilize the foot to help you recover.

While the orthotic for your ski boot can’t be transferred to your running shoe, for the flexibility reasons mentioned above, your running shoe orthotic could be transferred to your other athletics shoes such as golf shoes or hiking boots, Koenig said.

“If you like an orthotic in your ski boot, you’ll probably like it in your running shoe,” Koenig said.

Of course, if you’re more interested in the other end of the spectrum — minimal running — Surefoot offers a selection of minimal running shoes as well. So, orthotics or not, fat shoe or barefoot, Surefoot has a selection you’ll want to check out.

Shoes range from $90-$150 at MSRP prices, and orthotics are $225, but if you buy two at the same time (perhaps one for ski boots and one for running shoes), the second pair is $175. All of Surefoot’s orthotics are guaranteed, so if something doesn’t feel right, bring them back and the guys will make it right.

Surefoot is a sponsor of the June Lake Triathlon on July 13 and will be giving gift certificates for custom orthotics to the top male and female finishers of the race.

(Photos: Kirkner)