Three Winners, 100+ #MyKURUStory Journeys

We have our winners for the #MyKURUStory contest!

First, we would like to express our gratitude to every participant who took the time to share their incredible journeys with us. Each of your 171 stories touched our hearts and reminded us of the power of resilience and the impact that happy, healthy feet can have on our lives.

Huge round of applause to our 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners! Join us in hearing their inspiring stories below:

Congratulations to our 1st place winner, Jessica T.!

“My shoe journey starts in the years of my youth when wearing jellie shoes (yeah you over there, I see you, you know what I'm talking about) were the height of summer fashion if one wore shoes at all.

I grew up loving to be in as little shoes as possible. Flip flops, jellies, ballet flats, or barefoot, those were my jam..... And then I grew up and started paying for it.

I don't know exactly when I first noticed the problems, but I remember coming back from Japan. I hadn't known better and had worn my usual shoes. Weeks on cobble stone and walking more than I ever had in my life (I live in the rural midwest, there is no public transit. Everyone drives. In Japan no one drives, but shoot, everyone walks. A lot. Every day.) I ended up limping the trip and for months after.

I started waking up with my feet already hurting. Getting up and standing was excruciating.... which is when I learned about plantar fasciitis. This was in my early 30's... here I am over a decade later and I still struggle with that. I am a teacher, and am on my feet for hours a day, standing and walking.... The only way I make it through the day is with solid shoes. I've tried all kinds of shoes, with varying degrees of success.

My KURUs have been the best of the best. I started with a pair of heavier winter type tennis shoes. Then I got myself waterproof summer sandals. We are about to head back to school and I find myself eyeing the slip on breathable shoes. Foot pain can make a favorite activity, job, life, everything, miserable. Having a shoe that alleviates some of that pain is a life changer.”

- Jessica T., Special Needs Educator in Missouri

Thank you for sharing your story with us, Jessica!

Congratulations to our 2nd place winner, Arlene!

Arlene is the winner of our 1st Runner-Up Prize: $100 Dollars in KURU Cash.

In their own words, Arlene shared:

“It has been a challenging day to day life for a Nurse like me since the start of the pandemic. I’d been on my feet the whole time during my shift and no amount of pain and suffering my feet experienced during those days and as of this present time. I was on the Frontline working in the Covid designated unit at the start of the pandemic. My anxiety is up to the roof as we tackle the challenges of the virus that killed so many during the first wave, so as to say that my ankle pain has no room for me to think about while I’m at work.

Thank God for my KURU shoes! My KURU shoes saved me from experiencing pain and fatigue during the time of Pandemic chaos. I’ve had two pairs of KURU shoes that I use up until now that I am assigned in a Continuous Complex care unit. I’ve had them since the start of the Pandemic and I’m still using them until now. They’re very comfortable and it prevents me from having muscle cramps at night since they provide very good ankle support in the first place. I’d love to have a new pair if I get lucky since my KURU shoes are getting old and need a break too.”– Arlene

Thank you for sharing your story with us, Arlene!

Congratulations to our 3rd place winner, Jolene W.!

Jolene is the winner of our 2nd Runner-Up Prize: $75 Dollars in KURU Cash.

In their own words, Jolene shared:

“Have you ever seen two uglier feet than mine?😔. Twelve years ago, I had a bunion removed from my left foot. As you can see, the surgeon screwed up. He removed the bunion, but my big toe didn’t stay in place. It sloughed off to the right. It doesn’t do its job now so my second toe has now assumed the job of keeping me balanced. That’s why it is so big. It also has twisted on its side and a huge callus has formed which is quite painful. My right foot has a huge bunion due to my wearing high heels everyday when I worked in a law office for 12 years. I’m too chicken to get both feet fixed because of the horrible outcome of my left foot.

My arches have also fallen and my feet have gone from a size 9M to size 10.5W. I bought several brands of shoes proclaiming to have great arch support. Some of them did, but their wide width was wide in the heel area, which I don’t need, but narrow in the toe box. Then, I found KURU shoes! Hallelujah! KURUs are the only shoes that have EXCELLENT arch support and a wide toe box, but not overly wide heels! KURUs are the only shoes that I can wear that let me walk without pain. Even if or when I get my feet fixed, I will still wear KURUs. They are just excellent shoes!”

- Jolene W.

Thank you for sharing your story with us, Jolene!

To our winners and every participant, thank you for sharing your stories, and please join us in celebrating their achievement! Please continue to share your stories with us. We can’t wait to hear more stories of how KURU Footwear has made a difference in your lives.

Stay tuned for more exciting contests and opportunities to share your KURU experiences. Your stories inspire us, and we’re grateful to be a part of your journey.

About Us

At KURU, we're on a mission to help you Heel Better™ with footwear technology (including the best shoes for plantar fasciitis) designed to relieve foot pain, so you can live a life you love. Since launching our innovative technology in 2008, we’ve received more than 35,000 five-star reviews from thousands of customers who tell us their KURU shoes helped them get back to doing what they love.

For all media inquiries, please contact us at pr@kurufootwear.com.