Late in my 21st year of running, I began to feel a pain in my right foot. This wasn’t the normal, low, rumbling ache I’d trained myself to push through over the last two decades, but the kind of deep, agonizing pressure that all runners dread, foreshadowing catastrophe. Something in my body was seriously wrong.I hoped it was a simple case of plantar fasciitis — a fairly common strain in the band of tissue running the length of the foot. But an MRI revealed that I had a long list of tendinopathies, partial tendon tears, poorly healed torn ligaments, a bone marrow edema, bursitis, and, finally, plantar fasciitis. Trust me, you never want to see the word “delamination” in a medical report.Along with an intensive course of PT, orthoses, lifestyle changes, and pain management, my podiatrist added another, perhaps more unusual item to my injury-recovery checklist: Crocs.Yes, Crocs.According to my doctor, rather than plodding around barefoot across the hardwood floors of my apartment or running to the store in chunky, firm-soled boots and further straining the tender tissue in my mostly flat feet, a pair of plush foam clogs would give my foot a chance to recover from the accumulation of miles over the years. And, because Crocs also have relatively low arch support, they are a particularly good fit for my own extremely low arches.I am far from the only person living the Crocs lifestyle; they are everywhere from nursery schools to the NFL draft. Whether you’re looking at Crocs primarily as a cushy shoe for long hours of standing, or you’re drawn to the singular, uncanny shapes and vast color palette, Crocs have a mesmerizing appeal that has cemented them as a kind of beautiful weirdo in the world of footwear.But as I tried them on, a problem immediately presented itself. Crocs are not always the most attractive shoes. And as a man who loves footwear, the thought of incorporating Crocs into outfits that still looked and felt like me boggled my mind.Looking for the pair that sits at the apex of style and comfort, I asked Crocs to send me a lineup of our own choosing, and then set out to answer the question: Which pair of Crocs is best?