| Hershey Custom Shoes | |
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The main categories of Hersey Custom Shoes are: Running, Walking and Hiking, Racewalking. The racewalking category came about by request of Curt Clausen of the US Olympic Team. These are performance athletic shoes, indeed!
My first purchase was the racewalking model. It is very difficult to find a commercial shoe built to perform well in racewalking - which requires a lightweight, flat, and flexible shoe, but also one that gives enough support so as not to get training injuries.
The first time you slip into a pair of custom shoes, the feeling is amazing. It feels like your feet have "come home." My particular problem is a small bunion on one foot, and I have a terrible time trying to find shoes that do not irritate that area. The Hersey Racewalker I got has only mesh over the bunion area.
The Racewalkers are extremely flexible and my shoe weighs only 9 oz. My one quibble is that the sole seemed to wear down fairly swiftly. The shoes can be resoled at a far less price than getting an original made.
The Racewalker is low on cushioning and is not a good "standing around in" shoe. I also wondered how it would perform over longer distances, having had a bad experience with minimally-cushioned shoes at 20 distances.
Hersey also has a competition racewalker shoe meant for using only during races.
The Hersey DPS
I next ordered their top-of-the-line running model, the DPS, to see if it would better meet my needs for training for the Avon 3-Day Walk. I needed a shoe with enough cushioning to get me through a 20 mile day but still lightweight and flexible. The Hersey site said this was a good shoe for high mileage.
Again, the shoes felt fabulous right out of the box. On the second wearing I stood for 3 hours while volunteering at a walk/run - and my feet felt great enough to then go right off and do my own 5 mile walk. The heels are slightly higher than the racewalking model, but the shoe still retains flexibility and mine weighs 10.6 oz.
The DPS means "Durometric Progression Midsole System," which means that the density and resistance to compression of the midsole varies throughout your stride.
Any Color You Want ...
Like with the model T Ford, you can get the Hersey shoe in any color you want - if you dye them yourself. Otherwise you get the gray and blue which remind people of the "heritage shoes" they had back in their youth.
Hiking and Walking Shoes
Hersey has a plain walker shoe which has a lower heel than the running shoe, with less cushioning. For those with ankle problems and for trail runners, they have a high top version of their shoes.
I am awaiting the delivery of the Hiker, which features waterproof leather and increased stability - and comes in any color you want so long as it is brown.
I have fallen in love with Hersey Custom Shoes. And here is my full disclosure: I pay full retail for them and have to wait in the queue like all of the other customers. So if you decide it is time for custom shoes, let me know so I can send in my next order sooner.
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