As any human already knew, the 1/4" rope was a disaster.  8.15 miles later, the lion paws were pretty shredded by the toe plug.

The rope didn't do much better on the underside.

Strange that a softer material caused increased chafing.  Whether or not heel chafing would happen later, it wasn't durable enough to be a heel strap.  The sandals thus get a long break while waiting for the lion to heel.