Barefoot Running

BAREFOOT RUNNING

Two sides of a very hot topic.

By Amby Burfoot

Image by Edel Rodriguez

From the February 2010 issue of Runner's World

In 1960, Ethiopian Abebe Bikila won the Olympic Marathon in bare feet. In 1966, Robert Parker recorded his hit song "Barefootin'." And in 1969, Paul McCartney walked barefoot across Abbey Road. No one noticed a trend; people in the '60s had other concerns. Three decades later, Ken Bob Saxton completed his first barefoot marathon in 4:12. Still, it wasn't until 2009 that barefoot running became a hot topic. The biggest impetus was Christopher McDougall's book Born to Run. While ostensibly the story of Mexico's Tarahumara Indians—who run barefoot or in tire-tread huaraches—controversial chapters in the book conclude that running shoes have done little to prevent injuries. The popularity of minimal shoes, such as the Nike Free and Vibram FiveFingers, has fueled the fire. "Barefoot Ken Bob" Saxton, founder of runningbarefoot.org, and sports podiatrist-biomechanist Kevin Kirby, D.P.M., a runner for nearly 40 years, agreed to discuss the merits—and drawbacks—of running barefoot. (McDougall declined.)


RUNNER'S WORLD What are the best and worst things that can be said about barefoot running?

KEN BOB SAXTON The best thing for me and a lot of others who run barefoot is actually the stimulation and exhilaration. It's the process of being more interactively involved in the running—we feel it on our feet. We don't just robotically pound out the steps. And we enjoy the freeing effect of air blowing across our feet. In short, it's fun.

KEVIN KIRBY I have no problem with people who occasionally run barefoot on a safe surface as a supplement to their normal training. But in today's society, we don't have a lot of grassy fields. We have a lot more asphalt, concrete, glass, and nails. So I worry that barefoot running is going to produce injuries, such as puncture wounds, infections, and even lacerations of vital structures at the bottom of the foot. I would hate to see someone who wouldn't get injured in shoes go out barefoot running and get a serious injury.


RW In recent years, there has been a lot of talk in running circles about Pose running, Chi running, and now barefoot running, which all seem to advocate for a midfoot or forefoot landing pattern. Have you encountered a lot of runners interested in these approaches?

KIRBY Yes, and I think Pose running and Chi running can be okay for some people. They both seem to advocate landing more on the forefoot because proponents think rearfoot strikers will somehow be less efficient and/or get more injuries. But forefoot running can cause injuries, too. I've seen a lot of Achilles tendon injuries among runners who were naturally rearfoot strikers but then forced themselves to run more on the forefoot.

SAXTON I've met runners who got injured from the so-called minimalist shoes more than from barefoot running. I think the shoes take away too much of the feedback. When I ran my first marathon, I wore shoes, and I got such bad blisters that I had to walk the last six or seven miles. My toenails all turned black and fell off. Since then, I've run a total of 74 marathons barefoot, and hundreds of shorter races. I've run on trails and roads, and covered tens of thousands of miles in training. And I can assure you that the total barefoot damage that my feet have endured is significantly less than what they suffered in that one marathon in shoes. I don't think my feet are particularly special.

RW Theoretically, barefoot running should be faster because you don't carry any weight on your feet. Have you found this to be the case?

SAXTON If it helps you run all the way instead of walking, which was my situation, then it will definitely make you faster. When I first started racing 10-Ks barefoot, I was breaking 40 minutes. Before that, in shoes, I couldn't break 40. So for me, it has been faster, though I'm getting older and slower now. In our barefoot running community, we have found mixed results. A lot of our people are older runners who have had injuries, so they're not so concerned about speed. They're enjoying the fact that they can run more without injuries. In some cases, that gets them in better shape, and then they can run faster in races.

KIRBY In my personal experience, back in my cross-country days at UC Davis, we would sometimes run mile repeats around a grassy baseball field. I found I could run about five seconds per mile faster without shoes. A couple of research studies have shown that you can run about three percent faster barefoot than in 12-ounce shoes because of the weight reduction. So barefoot running is certainly more economical. The question is: What can the runner tolerate? Are you willing to take the risk of going barefoot? How about racing flats that weigh six ounces each? That might be a reasonable middle ground for some.

RW In Born to Run, Chris McDougall argues that modern-day running shoes have done nothing to prevent injuries and that barefoot running might be the answer. Your thoughts?

KIRBY I've been running for 40 years, and I lecture on biomechanics internationally, and I just don't think we have any studies to support that. It's ridiculous to claim that running shoes are the cause of injuries. It's the act of running that causes injuries—the hard surfaces, hitting the ground with two to three times your body weight. Those forces are going to cause injuries whether shoes are involved or not.

SAXTON I've met or been in contact with hundreds of runners who would not be running today if they had to run in the available shoes. Shoes might not be causing the injuries, but they're not preventing them the way the companies represent themselves through their marketing. The Born to Run book has encouraged a lot of runners to try to defy injuries with barefoot running or minimalist shoes. That's a plus, but it can also be a bad thing if people get too excited. They might go out and do more than they're ready for. Then, either from lack of foot strength or from not having learned good running technique yet, they get hurt.

RW Many readers of this will want to try barefoot running, and they'll wonder how they should begin.

SAXTON Like an infant. Take advantage of the fact that your soles are tender and sensitive. That's going to teach you the most. Start by going out and standing on a gravel road or trail, and getting used to it. Stand straight, bend your knees, and notice how your heel lifts up. It's an experience of discovery. You definitely can't just say, "Okay, I'm a runner. I'm going to do 10 miles barefoot." You need to be aware of what's going on with your own body. Luckily, your feet are sensitive, which is a good thing. Listen to them and they'll keep you from doing something stupid. And keep in mind how long it takes a baby to learn to walk and run before they do their first mile.

RW Is the current interest in barefoot running a media-driven fad or something that will continue and grow?

KIRBY I think it's an overhyped fad. That doesn't mean it's bad, but the media likes it because it's something different. I'd guess that less than one-tenth of one percent of runners are doing it. I do think it will have a few converts, and some will benefit from it. I recommend to some runners that they try it out: Go out and do a little barefoot running on nice grass. I agree with Ken that it's good for runners to have a better sense of their feet on the ground. But I don't think we're going to see any big changes down the road, or see that everyone's out running barefoot.

SAXTON Barefoot running is actually something that's been tried and tested over millions of years of evolution. Feet have become the engineering marvel that they are because they work. But right now, sure, it's a media-driven fad, and I'm partly responsible for that. Which is okay with me. The running-shoe industry has had many years of hyping shoes, backed by millions of dollars of advertising. If barefoot running catches on, it will only catch on because it works for people. And it is working for lots of runners who have gotten injured so much they had stopped running or stopped enjoying it. This isn't a movement that's trying to create ultramarathoners or Olympic marathoners. We're just trying to help average runners become more mindful of how they're running and to enjoy it more.