The MT101 is not a Barefoot Running Shoe

denny123

First things first,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], the New Balance MT101 is not a barefoot running shoe as it has a substantial heel-to-toe drop (will go into this more below) and has a good bit of cushioning in the sole. However,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], the New Balance MT line has been a popular subject amongst minimalist runners — probably because Anton Krupicka has been helping New Balance shape this line and he's known for modding his shoes to make them more neutral/minimalist. Krupicka has been a key tester in developing New Balance's NB Minimus trail running shoe (which is a "barefoot running shoe").
A few minimalist runners have gone so far as to mod MT101s and MT100s (the predecessor to the New Balance MT101). Rockrunner,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], at the Minimalist Runner Google Group,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], zeroed out a pair of MT100s and extended the rock protection through the heel using a thin cutting board. The Rockstop™ protector appears to be made of similar material. Speaking of zeroing out MT100s,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], Tuck recently posted about having a cobbler zero out his MT100s and MT101s.
Anyway,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], as I was looking for a trail running alternative to Trek Sports,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], I decided to "bug out" and get the MT101s for a bit of one-on-one testing. Below I'll talk about how they performed on the trails as well as get into details about the shoe design.