so, some reviews have mentioned that these shoes have an arch to them. I ignored this, assuming they were just being barefoot elitists or something. But i have to say that this shoe has one of the highest arches I've ever seen in a shoe. when i first put these on, it felt like i was standing on the rung of a ladder. I have not tried running in these yet due to some ankle issues, but i will in the next few days, and i suspect i will be returning them, possibly for some Trail Gloves, but this might have scared me off of Merrell's barefoot line altogether, simply because i have no idea what to expect. I don't even have flat feet! i imagine if you did, the front of your foot and your heel wouldn't bee able to touch the ground at the same time, like some kind of weird teeter-totter.