Oh my aching dogs!
Wet feet, walked and biked on for hours can get a little cranky. Ok. A lot cranky. Managing your feet as a racer is a really important component of not just your comfort, but your race. Blisters and water swollen feet that crack / split and jammed toes can make moving on them near impossible.
So... how does one keep these things from happening? It's not one thing and most racers have a personal practice they use to keep their feet under them for the many kilometers of a race.
Shoes - obviously having shoes that fit properly (not too big, and definitely not too small) is part of it. Any little hot spots you can ignore on a 1 hour run can quickly escalate to major proportions at hour 12. Keeping your shoes laced properly is also just as important - tight enough to keep you foot from jamming into the end and well secured, but not so tight that you cause pain or cut off circulation. The 'extra' hole at the top can be handy here!
Socks - almost any runner or adventure racer can tell you about their favourite socks. It's such a personal thing, but most of us are happy to tell you our favourite in case it works for you too! (what are mine you ask? WrightSocks double layer and Stance Socks currently take top billing for my runs).
Barrier Cream - folks use different kinds - sports-specific body lubricants (e.g., body glide), baby butt cream (Penaten Cream, Barrier Cream, Zincofax), of whatever you prefer. This is a really important step if your feet are going to be wet! This provides a nice protective layer for your feet against the moisture and from friction.
Tape - some racers pre-tape hot spots with Leukotape (or similar). I've done this for certain kinds of races, but it depends what the terrain is going to be like.
As for the photo? Well... we're going to guess that # 1 didn't pan out for whoever's shoes these are. Let us all take a moment silence to thank these shoes for their many miles and wish them well in the great shoe-after.
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