Added 2 lugs to the existing teflon things which keep the shoelace from tearing through the foam.  The extra lugs were hot glued down, so the laces could still be adjusted & the whole thing could be undone.  This lasts much longer than the exposed laces, but still has limited life near the bend.  Paracord has proven a bit more chafing while also harder to keep in a knot.  The next material will be fluorescent green polypropylene recommended by xeroshoe guy, but with the new protection, it's unlikely the paracord will ever be used up.

This might finally be an application for titanium.  A sandal with titanium bits just where the teflon is currently used would almost be commercially viable.  While some shoes are marketed with the word titanium, it's not actually used in any shoe, but a sandal is a practical use for it.  Glow in the dark rope was a fiasco, but imagine the look on the other runner's faces when they see a lion with TITANIUM sandals.  Even better, titanium sandals & air force shirt.