I am definitely one of those runners that suffers from pretty sore lower legs after big, long runs, and when it’s a trail run even more so. I tend to find myself with a lot of soleus, calf, and achilles tension for a few days and no amount of strength training, stretching, or improvements to flexibility has never really alleviated it. So when the OOFOS Sport Clogs arrived I was a bit skeptical because I felt like I’ve tried everything else so most of me was thinking, really is this going to do anything. I also wasn’t sure what to expect from the shoe itself because it kind of looks like a Croc and those haven’t really garnished the best reputation.
Who is OOFOS Exactly
Oofos Is a company that has been built by veterans from the footwear and running shoe world. Their goal was simple, accelerate recovery from repeated workouts and damped then shock and impact your legs have been through during your workout. They put over two years toward development and have produced a foam that absorbs more impact than normal shoes. It is supposed to be better for your arches and reduce pressure on your joints. They then took that tech and then produced a number of light, waterproof, durable, recovery shoes ranging from sandals to clogs. We tested the…
OOFOS OOcloog Sport Clog
The Sport Clog comes in three colors and is designed to be “dressier”. I wasn’t wearing these out for a fancy dinner, I guess you could, but instead I opted for closed toe because we live in the Pacific Northwest and I wanted my foot covered. The shoe is simple and it looks good. It has a bit of a gloss on the exterior to it which I think it intentional to give it that mixed use feel. The brand logo OO is on the upper, but is ghosted out and subtle. It basically looks like a leather clog… but it’s not at all. Instead it’s super light, waterproof, and soft in the toebox.
How Does it Feel?
It feels pushy, but also structured if that makes sense. There is a definite emphasis in terms of cushion on the inner medial of the shoe right near your arch. That subtle increase in material seems to apply enough pressure to your foot to actually alleviate a good amount of lower leg pain, at least in my case. They are not really fancy and I would challenge the whole “wear them out” advertising, but when you are headed out for something casual then it makes total sense. They are fairly simple to some degree, but that’s been formed into a great physiological design which aids in recovery. I could probably see myself going through a lot of these, but at the same time I find I only wear them for 30 to 45 minutes after a run or ride. They definitely don’t have a soft interior lining and the outside is still plastic, but I do think they are very comfy.
Does it Work?
I wasn’t paying a lot of attention at the time, but as I look back to wrap this up I realized how the OOFOS Sport Clog had worked its way into my routine. I would return from a run of any length and immediately gravitate straight to them as soon as I walked in the door. My shoes would come off and instantly the clog would be on my feet. I would then spend the next 30 minutes and sometimes more and during that time I would feel the tension in those muscles decline. With riding it was much the same. I would wear the clogs with socks pre-ride and then once off the bike, immediately find myself back in them again not only because they were accessible, but because it felt good.
Overall Thoughts
As I came into this I was highly skeptical about what OOFOS OOcloog Sport would do for me. I have done a lot of rehab and flexibility exercises to strengthen the lower part of my leg, but this immediately alleviated a good portion of it without any work. I was shocked in many ways to say the least. I don’t know that these are shoes I would wear every day simply from an overall quality and durability perspective, but they’ve integrated themselves very well into my everyday workout routine and they’ve almost become a staple in the recovery efforts. If you look at these and think Croc right away, then you aren’t far off in terms of material feel, but there is a design element that OOFOS has mastered which targets specific portions of your foot that helps minimize foot and lower leg pain. At least in my case, so it’s worth a look if you were curious.
The OOFOS OOcloog Sport as well as many other designs are available from their website and the OOcloog is $64.95 and is available in three different colors brown, black, and gray.
