Occasionally I see runner’s shoes that have wear holes in the material in the heel counter. This picture from Dan shows his shoes with holes to the outside of center on both heels. I emailed the following suggestion.
I’d try an ENGO Back of Heel Patch. They are made to shape to the curve of the back of the heel counter. Put them in when the shoe is dry. Rub them a bit in a curving motion to help them form to the shape of the shoe. Then peel off the paper backing and apply from the center outwards to the sides. Rub well so they adhere to the shoe’s material. You could also try the large ovals if the hole is small. The blue ENGO patches are very slick and can take a lot of wear. Once the blue wears down to expose white, replace the patch. Sometimes the holes are on the sides of the heel.
Last summer at Western States, I had a runner whose shoe was rubbing her heel raw. You can see from the image that she has a prominent heel bump. This, of course, contributed to her problem. This is the kind of problem one needs to plan for before it becomes a major issue – especially at the event the magnitude of Western States.
We decided to cut a notch out of the outside of her shoe’s heel. This allowed the back of the shoe to spread apart for her large heel bump. Then I applied an ENGO Back of the Heel Patch to the inside of the shoe’s heel counter. This provided some protection to her heel bump.
The large ENGO ovals can also be used when there is a small area to be covered.
I have been a fan of ENGO Blister Prevention Patches since I first discovered them years ago. The ovals are perfect for the common areas at the side of the heel where blisters form at the junction of insole and heel counter. The large rectangles are great to put on insoles underneath the ball of the foot, another common problem area.
Check out the ENGO website for more information. ENGO products are available through Zombierunner. If you are in Australia or New Zealand, ENGO products are available through Rebecca Rushton’s Blister Prevention website.
Disclosure: Tamarack Habilitation Technologies supplies me with ENGO Patches as I need them for races.
