Running Toe Protectors, Ultimate Performance, Silicon

Ultimate Performance Running Toe Protectors

These running toe protectors are made from SILICON by the company “Ultimate Performance”. Hence the name “Ultimate Performance Running Toe Protectors“. Now you know. I’ve also added a bit on Injinji running socks, below, as they seem to help prevent blisters too.

As the well-known, mutant-footed compatriot of the5krunners I tested and penned some thoughts on the Ultimate Performance Toe Protectors

This is a product I never new existed and yet turns out to be rather handy (well footy).

Ultimate Performance (UP) Toe Protectors are made of high-grade silicon and are designed to cover a single toe at a time. They are approximately 1 inch or 3 cm long and can be cut to size.

Ultimate Performance UP Silicon Toe Protector: You get 2 in a pack. I got a free pack to review. Thank you the5krunner and UP!

As it happened a month before I received these samples I had the pleasure of completing this year’s second Half Marathon. Joy! as I finished with a very painful toe which, over the next week or so, developed a rather nice bruise underneath the nail which then (the nail) eventually fell off. The falling off process was surprisingly NOT painful – unlike the original injury.

First problem. as you can see from the image I have 2 mutant webbed toes, quite small.

I seem to get this sort on ‘injury’ either when I run half marathon type distances OR when I wear running shoes that are 1 size too big. The latter is not as silly as it sounds as most running shops seem to recommend to me to wear one-size-too-big shoes to accommodate foot expansion whilst running. I don’t think my feet expand that much and I have found through trial and error that a half size ‘too big’ is what I need.

Anyway I still fairly often run >HM distances and wear those shoes that are one size too big that I happen to have bought by some kind person at a birthday or Christmas. UNluckily they seem the remember the size of the pair they bought last year ie one size too big. Grrrr

So with my new cut-down-to-size (second image) toe protectors I’m good to go. A simple pair of scissors sufficed.

After 2x 10mile+ runs I can successfully report no bruising and all toe nails intact.

The toe protectors are EXTREMELY soft and slippery to the touch and yet do easily stay on the toe. If you were so-inclined I imagine you could put them on your big toe or fingers. You’d need very small fingers though.

Other shapes and sizes are available, including ones for the toes. You can see the full range at Amazon, below, below and you help this blog in a small way if you do. Thank you! (Same normal Amazon prices)

Cost: Generally less than US$/GBP£5.00

TIPS & POINTERS: I added this on 16 October 2017.

• The toe protectors do seem to work 90% of the time over 10 mile runs for me. I did a lot of long distance run training in 2017 and the issue then was the frequency of long runs in summer.
• The failure point to the toe protectors seemed to be when sweat accumulated too much. So for a start well-ventilated shoes will probably help (mine already are).
• You might find the problem is that your toe is running on the UPPER MESH of the shoe. Eventually that friction may be causing the blister. You can cut a hole in your trainer (I’ve seen it done!)
• I’ve increased my toe blister success rate up to about 98% with alternating by wearing INJINJI Running socks. these are basically thin gloves designed to run with. These ‘toe gloves’ reduce the friction BETWEEN YOUR TOES. And that for me seems to be where much of the problem lies. So they do a similar job to the silicon TOE PROTECTORS but also wicking away the sweat to some degree
• The post on Injinji Running Socks (link immediately follows), or there are now Amazon links at the end for Injinji too.

Injinji Running Socks – Finally curing the running socks debacle