but just couldn't do it.

For background, I've been running barefoot on concrete and needed something to wear on my feet in order to run on treadmills at the gym. Therefore, I wanted the lightest thinnest shoe I could find. This did qualify, but fit was an issue.

These fit extremely narrow through the middle/arch of the foot. To the point that I felt like I was walking on the edges of the shoes. Wide sizes are available on the Merrell website, but I couldn't find anywhere to try them on for size locally. Even REI didn't carry these in a wide size.

Secondly, and even more importantly, the top of the back of the shoe pinched the back of my foot. This is a pretty common problem for me, but these shoes have a sort of cuff on the back of the shoe that makes the fit uncomfortable in the back. I've found that for me if the shoes hurt that spot, it doesn't go away when I break in the shoes. The men's version of this shoe doesn't have that, so I can't imagine why the women's version would. If I wasn't a size 6.5 in women's I would have tried on the men's shoe. Hopefully Merrell will get rid of it with the next season of these shoes.

As a side note, what I ended up buying were the Merrell Bare Access Arc. As a barefooter they have a bit more cushion than I would have wanted, but they are a bit wider in the midfoot and the heel area is different. I'll compromise on more cushion in order to get a shoe that doesn't leave me in tears after less than a mile because of the blister on the back of my heel.