Review of NB Minimus 10 - Updated (final)

In my previous update to the review of the NB Minimus 10, I concluded that, with the particular stitching design problem that had created a hot spot having gone away, I would, overall, still consider the NBM 10 in the future. What happened in this morning's long run changed my mind, and I'm now crossing the NBM 10 off my list of possible future shoes--unless New Balance fixes the problems I've encountered.

It was a 19-miler today. Weather was gorgeous, with temperatures starting in the 50s, sky sunny with patchy clouds, and a light breeze. I was cruising along, until around Mile 9, when I began to feel some irritation around the top of my right little toe. After Mile 10, I took a planned water/walk break (1/4 mi) but took some extra time to retie the shoelace, to see if that might take care of the irritation. It didn't and, for the next two miles, the irritation intensified. I knew that, if I continued, that toe probably won't be a pretty sight afterwards. OTOH, with my next marathon coming up in five weeks, I really was loath to cut the run short. I did some quick calculus and decided that, with a bruised and possibly blistered toe, I could probably bandage it and still continue to run on subsequent days. So, I ran on. As it turned out, starting with Mile 13, when, as planned, I increased the pace to goal marathon pace (for Boston qualifying), I didn't notice the irritation as much--though that might have been because my mind was more occupied with sustaining the faster pace. Anyway, when I got home, this is what I saw:

That maroon stain? Yup, blood. And, here's what was underneath:

The two ventilating holes in the sock were preexisting. Now, one might ask why didn't I wear a non-ventilating sock. Well, first, whatever the problem with the shoe that drew blood also had previously created the hole in the sock. Second, any good pair of shoes should be wearable sans socks. A quick check of the inside of that right shoe revealed some sloppy stitching work that had left some roughness, which resulted in the irritation. The corresponding area inside of the left shoe was smooth. (I also checked my retired Merrell Trail Glove--still my favorite!--and all the stitching was smooth.)

To sum up, that first stitching-related problem of the NBM 10 is mostly one of design. This stitching-related problem is one of workmanship. To me, both are indicative of poor quality control. Furthermore, there's also the problem I'd previously noted, that of the sole material of the NBM 10 wearing out rather quickly, forcing me to use Shoe Goo to keep up with the wear (which is good for Shoe Goo, I suppose!). I think this fast wearing out of the sole is a New Balance "design feature." :)

I hope NB will fix these problems. Otherwise, I won't be considering their shoes in the future.