Performance running shoes are created with one thing in mind - the run. Fabrics are carefully developed to provide the very best performance available for the lifetime of a running shoe, which is 300 to 500 miles. Holes in the fabric after this many miles would be considered normal wear and tear, as repeated friction in one area will start to wear down the soft technical materials used in the upper of our shoes. Here are some other reasons you might experience holes in the upper material:

• Size: We recommend about 1/2" to 1" (about a thumbnail's width) of space from your longest toe to the end of the shoe. If you are experiencing holes at the end of the toe box of your shoes, consider sizing up a half-size to ensure you have enough room.
  
  
• Width: If you are experiencing holes in the fabric on the sides of your shoes, particularly at the widest point of your foot, it's possible you would benefit from a wider shoe. 
  
  
• Stride: If your shoes are rubbing against each other during your stride, you might see wear on the inside of the shoes or on the collars around the ankle. Some runners also experience holes in the toebox from lifting their big toe as a part of their stride. For some people, correcting this can improve running performance, but for others, it's just the result of personal biomechanics that don't necessarily need to be changed. If you're one of these runners, you can probably expect that you'll need to replace your shoes slightly more often than what might be typical.

If you believe that you are experiencing holes in the fabric of your shoes due to a design or manufacturing flaw (as opposed to any of the above reasons), please fill out our Product Support form and select "Shoes" under "Product Type." We'll be happy to look into your request.