Abichal
Videos by VICE
Dipali
Dusan
Medur
Sundar
Sahishnu
Sakshama
Utpal
Most runners have one brand and make of shoe they’ve been buying for the past 20 years. They get locked in and never try anything different. But we had a hunch that if they were to test-drive a new-fangled shoe, they’d prefer it. That’s why we sent some of the latest models to our buddies who study with Sri Chinmoy.
Who’s that, you ask? Well, Sri Chinmoy is a Queens-based spiritual guide who encourages a balanced lifestyle. That means that the people who follow him pray and meditate a lot and eat really healthy. Sri Chinmoy also hosts spiritual running events that range from two-milers to “ultramarathons” like the 3,100-miler (60 miles a day, every day, for six weeks). In our estimation, Sri Chinmoy ain’t half bad.
So we sent some of the newest shoes from Asics, Adidas, Fila, and Puma to our friends who run to attain spiritual enlightenment. They used the shoes for a week and then met up with us at the Perfection in the Head World barbershop, which is run by Chinmoy. It’s out in Queens in a strip of Chinmoy-owned businesses, all of which are painted sky blue.
We expected that Abichal, Dipali, Dusan, Medur, Sundar, Sahishnu, Sakshama, and Utpal would hardly have a negative word to say about the shoes, or about anything at all for that matter, but they were surprisingly discerning and on-point. Maybe there really is something to this running-till-you-puke thing.
