Sole and shoe including the same

A sole having a midfoot portion configured to support an arch portion of a foot of a wearer, a forefoot portion located in front of the midfoot portion, and a rearfoot portion located behind the midfoot portion, the sole comprising:

• a midsole;
• and
• an outsole located beneath the midsole,
• the midsole being a foam material,
• the rearfoot portion including a facing region in which the midsole and the outsole are disposed to face each other at a distance from each other in an up-down direction, the facing region being located in a portion including a heel center of the sole when viewed in a direction normal to a bottom surface of the sole,
• the facing region including a shock absorber formed of a solid viscoelastic body, the shock absorber being sandwiched in the up-down direction by the midsole and the outsole,
• the shock absorber being located to overlap or surround the heel center,
• at a medial foot-side end portion in a portion of the rearfoot portion corresponding to the facing region, a medial foot-side highly rigid member having a panel shape being provided, the medial foot-side highly rigid member being higher in rigidity than the shock absorber,
• at a lateral foot-side end portion in a portion of the rearfoot portion corresponding to the facing region, a lateral foot-side highly rigid member having a panel shape being provided, the lateral foot-side highly rigid member being higher in rigidity than the shock absorber, and
• a pocket-shaped space surrounding the shock absorber and being disposed in the facing region such that a peripheral surface of the shock absorber is open to space and is not in contact with the medial foot-side highly rigid member or the lateral foot-side highly rigid member, a top side portion of the medial foot-side highly rigid member being fixed to the midsole and a bottom side portion of the medial foot-side highly rigid member being fixed to the outsole such that the medial foot-side highly rigid member is disposed to face the shock absorber at a distance from the shock absorber in a left-right direction, and
• a top side portion of the lateral foot-side highly rigid member being fixed to the midsole and a bottom side portion of the lateral foot-side highly rigid member being fixed to the outsole such that the lateral foot-side highly rigid member is disposed to face the shock absorber at a distance from the shock absorber in the left-right direction.