I’ve had a couple of races where my toes did not do so well, so for the Sulphur Springs 100 Miler, I decided to try the merino wool Injinji socks. This ended up being a bit of a game-day decision when the weather forecast turned into a 24+ hour rainstorm. I found myself running through calf deep water, mud bogs, and conditions that were completely unexpected. Needless to say, this was a much more aggressive product test than I had planned.
I changed into a fresh pair at the 50-mile mark and, despite my feet being wet, muddy, and abused for hours, I surprisingly had zero blisters. My second pair performed equally well from a comfort and blister-prevention standpoint, although a small hole started to form around the big toe area. Given the absolutely unreasonable amount of dirt and grit that made its way into my shoes, I suspect it essentially started acting like sandpaper on the fabric. These were definitely not normal running conditions.
That said, my feet remained in remarkably good condition considering what they went through. After 100 miles of rain, mud, standing water, and grit, I can confidently say these socks did their job above and beyond my expectations.
Five stars from me. If a pair of socks can help get my feet through those conditions for 100 miles with zero blisters, they’ve earned it!
