K-Swiss Vertical Tubes Cali-Mari $80.00, www.kswiss.com

The Good: The barefoot design enables you to feel the terrain.

The Bad: The shoe did not take enough impact for longer runs.

The Ugly: The squid-like suction cups under the shoe may not be your thing.

The Vertical Tubes Cali-Mari by K-Swiss represents my journey, as a runner, into the world of barefoot shoes. As a weekend-warrior type runner I enjoy the sport very much but had not tried the ever-growing barefoot genre of running shoes, until now.

These shoes have the distinctive K-Swiss Vertical Tubes. They look like the suction cup tentacles of our cephalopod friends under the sea thus the name Cali-Mari. These Vertical Tubes are constructed from an injection EVA foam. The shoe has a reinforced rubber patch in the heel and toe-strike areas of the outsole for added durability in the high impact areas. The upper webbing laced up securely around my foot and has plenty of breathability due to the “open air mesh” design.

I immediately noted how much more I felt the pavement under my feet, typified by this genre. At the same time, the vertical tubes of this shoe protected my feet from the impact. I have run many 3-5 mile runs and some longer up to 10 miles. After the longer runs the impact became noticeable and soreness started to set in. This has made me conclude that this shoe is ideal for runs fewer than five miles.

The shoe is very lightweight at 7.5oz and flexible too. It can be twisted and bent in almost any direction. This allowed me to feel the terrain while running like I had never before with my other running shoes. It should also be noted that this shoe is not ideal for trail runs. Gravel and rock easily get stuck between the tubes.

The Vertical Tubes Cali-Mari are worth considering if you are a runner looking for a barefoot shoe to use on the pavement, just be sure to stay off the trails.