Barefoot Running – The Real Deal or Just a Fad?

Abebe Bikila won the 1960 Olympic gold medal. He broke many records that day. He was the first African to win an Olympic gold medal. He also set a marathon record running it in 2:15:16. Perhaps one of the more enduring memories of his victory in 1960 though was that he ran the entire marathon barefoot. And did I mention that the marathon was in Rome? He set records, barefoot, while running on cobblestone.

Despite public displays of athletic minimalism like Bikila’s, few runners have been spotted barefoot since then. Athletic gear design, if anything, has gone in a completely opposite direction. Over the next 50 years several major brands infused technology and clothing together to create high performance athletic gear. Shoes have been the largest focus. Now you can strap on a pair of Asics Gel-Kayanos and expect at least 500 miles of wear and tear before you’re advised to get rid of them. Other running shoes come equipped with micro chips that tie into GPS and audio players for a type of “in-flight entertainment” while you run.

Barefoot Running and Injury Prevention

Interestingly though the prevalence of lower body injury has increased since the introduction of performance footwear from brands like Nike. This increase doesn’t seem to be correlated with more runners running more miles though. As some researchers would suggest, the energy costs of running are less when running barefoot and the prevalence of injury is less frequent as well. The basic argument being that the human foot is perfectly designed for running (without the aid of shoes).

Such research has created a somewhat underground group of runners that run unshod. They ditch the shoes and hit the road with liberated toes gripping at the surface to feel every detail of the road beneath them. Runner’s like Barefoot Ted have sold the barefoot method really well and his experiment has branched out into a new wave of barefoot runners. You can see the enthusiasm about barefoot running in groups like this one. But what is it that makes the barefoot style so compelling?

The Benefits of Barefoot Running

In terms of pure physics you can measure the barefoot benefit by less weight and drag. Typical running shoe can weigh anywhere between 10 and 16 ounces. Take off the weight and you remove a bit of resistance. Assuming that you take 1,800 steps per mile (that’s roughly 3 feet covered in each stride length), you can expect to move a 10 to 16 ounce shoe about 47,000 times during a full marathon. Granted this can fluctuate depending on the runner, however you can expect well over 30,000 strides for just about anyone who runs a marathon. With a bit of simple math it’s easy to see how taking off 10 to 16 ounces of weight can add up.

So in sum, running barefoot can make you feel lighter and faster by reducing the energy cost associated with moving the weight of a shoe.

For most runners though it seems that the primary motivation for trying barefoot running stems from a history of chronic running related injury. In a quest to run injury free runners are willing to try just about anything. Some turn to yoga. Others see sports therapists and/or chiropractors on a frequent basis. The majority of runners with injury turn to top of the line running equipment that’s coined as being the cure-all for maintaining a healthy running lifestyle. Our options include Custom orthotics, stability control shoes with massive heel and arch support, and the list goes on.

In the case of orthotics, the argument is that they are specially formed to correct biomechanical foot disorders. Heel and arch support in popular running shoes from Asics, New Balance et. al. make the same general argument. The human foot and our stride is corrupt or non-optimal naturally. With the inclusion of scientifically engineered gear most runners can correct their stride and run stronger and healthier. But is that really the case?

Have you asked yourself whether or not this gear actually helps? That it improves performance and biomechanics? Or is running with “high performance” gear the only running you know of and haven’t tried the minimalist approach to running?

I think a healthy dose of skepticism is necessary for any runner. For the benefit of becoming a better and healthier runner well into your 40′s, 50′s and beyond each runner should ask themselves, “what really works for me?”

For example, I often sit and think about what runners use to do 200 years ago, what they did 2,000 years ago, and then compare that with what runners do today. I sometimes laugh to myself when I try to picture an Ethiopian tribesman plop down on the side of a dirt trail and pull a foam roller out of his satchel to roll out some IT band issues. Or a Tarahumara stopping by a local Copper Canyons village to get a bag of ice for his worsening plantar fasciitis. Call it a hunch, but something tells me those weren’t issues that ancient runners had to deal with.

Recent studies find that “plantar fasciitis injuries account for approximately 15% of all foot related complaints” (Lutter, 1997, Med. J Allina. 6(2) http://www.allina.com). When you read the medical recommendations for rehab you’ll find a wide variety of treatment options. Taping the heel and ankle to immobilize biomechanical issues is recommended. Switching to a different type of shoe with more arch support is another recommendation. Stretching accompanied with strength training, and no surprise, elevation and icing mixed with rest is suggested to most runners with injury. But of all the recommendations that I’ve read from podiatric studies none of them recommend ditching your shoes. Perhaps that option should be considered much more than it currently is.

From my own experience with barefoot running I can speak to the benefits of it. For almost 2 years I’ve had a chronic hip injury related to tight hip muscles and a tight IT Band. Despite nonstop stretching and strengthening routines given to me by sports medicine professionals the issue has persisted. When running barefoot however it disappears. No pain. No discomfort. I also feel much lighter and more efficient when I run barefoot. At the end of a run I feel little to no fatigue in my quadricepts and my hamstrings. It seems as if I require less use of them when running barefoot.

It’s not an entirely one-sided story though. I have noticed that my feet and calves get inredibly sore. After my first 4 mile run barefoot my calves felt like they typically do after a 20 mile run in shoes. I also occasionally felt a burning sensation in the arch of my right foot. Usually it would go away after the first 2 miles, but it was concerning nonetheless.

Despite the unique soreness in my feet and calves I viewed it as a positive experience. My feet and calves didn’t hurt because they were injured. It felt as if I was waking them up. The soreness told me that I was making them stronger and building them back to a natural state of incredible strength and dexterity. The sensations I had while running barefoot spoke to me and told me that we were made to run.

Logical Thoughts About Barefoot Running

Ultimately I think that barefoot running casts a bit of doubt on most runner’s standard beliefs about running. And I think that’s a good thing for the individual and for the community of runners as a whole. A lot of research and practical application has to be done before we reach a point of clarity on the topic but at some point we should ask ourselves what it is that we believe. I think that a bit of anecdotal questioning can tell us a lot.

Should we find it so unbelievable that our feet are actually designed for running? They are, afterall, the parts of our body that come in most contact with the ground. Evolution should have dictated the natural improvement in their biomechanical design. The same comparison can be made to monkey’s and other primates. Their hands and feet have adapted perfectly to suit their lifestyle in trees. They are not running creatures but they are climbing creatures. I think the evolutionary design of their hands and feet show us that.

In the meantime I encourage you to try new things and see what a minimalist approach to running can do. If you do decide to try barefoot running then I suggest you start SLOW. If you’re like most of us then you’ve had your feet in shoes for most of your life. Training them to perform at their natural state could take several months or a few years. Of the distance runners who go barefoot that I’ve spoken to the average transition time it took for them was 1-2 years. But now that they have made the transition they run almost entirely injury free (minus the occasional cut or stubbed toe).

Barefoot Running Resources

If you’re looking for other barefoot running resources such as opinion pieces or research, then check out the below list:

http://runningbarefoot.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barefoot_running
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-1170253/The-painful-truth-trainers-Are-expensive-running-shoes-waste-money.html
http://www.runtheplanet.com/trainingracing/training/alternative/barefoot.asp

Barefoot Running Equipment

For those of you who want to make the barefoot leap and try it out yourself, check out the below list of barefoot gear. Remember, you don’t have to go entirely barefoot. There is a growing list of minimalist running options. The list below is ideal for those that want to strip off traditional running shoes but not go entirely shoeless:

Vibram Five Fingers are the most popular barefoot shoe and are really starting to take off amongst the minimalist culture.

Huarache running sandals are also very popular and inspired by tribesman from around the world.

The Nike Free is Nike’s response to the barefoot running phenomenon. It’s been known to run narrow so watch out for those toes!

And the lesser known Skora barefoot running line will launch in 2010 and is supposed to revolutionize the sport.

Do you have experience running barefoot versus running in shoes? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.