HOME PAGE

WHAT'S NEW?

JUNIOR PAGE

COACHING

WHAT IS
ORIENTEERING?

GALLERY

MAPPED AREAS

EVENTS DIARY

RESULTS

SOLUS

CLUB POLICIES

HOW TO JOIN

LINKS

CONTACT US

THE HEADLESS CHICKEN PAGES

Shoelaces

An article on shoelaces! Who would read that? It sounds as dull as ditch water. That was my reaction to the April edition of Runners World which had devoted a whole article to this topic and advertised it on the cover!!

Later I found myself returning to the magazine just to see how they had managed to spin this topic out and ended up reading the whole item from beginning to end and what's more looking at the web site that accompanied the item!

So what was it that got my attention? Well a number of things. The suggestion that I didn't know how to tie my shoelaces properly was faintly unsettling, possibly even insulting. So I had to read on to get the answer. Also, the idea that you could lace up shoes in more than one or two ways and depending on which method used you could improve the fit and comfort was intriguing. There are methods to keep your heel snugly in place and avoid slipping, reduce pressure on the upper foot, lacings which are used by tri athletes which are quick release ….. The list goes on.

If fashion and making your shoes or sneakers individual is your priority then there is a whole section devoted to this. You can even look at a library of photos to see what the finished result will look like.

The topic of knots to use is also vast. If you want a conventional method of tying a bow then there are three ways to achieve the same knot. If you are plagued with knots that just won’t stay tied you can find out what the problem is. Other than that there are knots to use which can be tied using only one hand and knots which sound very picturesque, Freedom Knot and Turquoise Turtle to name just two.

Yes the subject is gone into in great detail and you are left with the distinct impression that someone who can get into that level of detail and devote that level of attention to the topic definitely has anorak tendencies. That being said there is useful information contained in the web site if you are willing to search for it. So next time I see you in the forest how will your running shoes be laced and perhaps more significantly will they be tied correctly? And will someone be checking?

Visit http://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/index.htm to have all your shoelace questions answered and your shoelace education completed.