The Great Barefoot Running Hysteria of 2010

The whole mythos of running barefoot got me and my wife into running! We did actual barefoot just a little bit before switching to toe shoes. We ran in those until 2021. We only switched to Xeros because of the "grass stuck between the toes" effect when hiking and the ability to get slightly thicker soles with lugs.

From when we started in 2009 to today, we both had to increase two shoe sizes.

She just finished her first 50 mile ultramarathon using Xero thin soled shoes. It was half on the AT, and she had no issues with that.

I'm a less serious runner, just enough to be able to knock out a few miles on demand and the annual Broad Street 10 mile run.

We both hiked 1000 miles of the AT on a thru in 2022. We've also clocked around 3O00 miles of other small day hikes and overnight trips. All with Zeros or Altras, and with a 30lb pack.

Over the years, she's had some minor issues with plantar fascitis that went away when she added in regular stretching. She's had a few bouts of hip bursitis when ramping up mileage for the ultra.

I've had some issues with knee pain that started on the thru hike related to scoliosis. My one hip drops lower than the other, twisting the knee and causing issues on both. Regular single leg exercises and heavy lifting keeps that in check (hard to do on the trail unfortunately).

Neither of us have had any issues with ankles, calves, or typical runner knee issues. I'm not sure I can credit the shoes for all of it, but I'm very glad we started with them and neither of us have any reason to change. Regular thick foam trainers now feel very uncomfortable, it's hard to describe. They squish my toes (which are very wide). They change my gait which feels awkward.

It's funny, now I feel like I see lots of runners in my area using these thin soled shoes, like the Merrel Vaporglove, Xeros, or alternative. Maybe it's cohort bias? Either way I am glad I found them when I did!

Barefoot running might have died as a fad, but, fortunately, the biomechanical benefits from the minimalist footwear inspired by the movement haven't gone away.

I only own minimalist footwear (zero heel to toe drop, wide toe box, no toe spring). Dress shoes, sneakers, sandals; all of it.

They helped me get off of orthotics, which I've worn for over 20 years, while reducing stress on my knees (I have osteoarthritis in my right knee) and making what little arches I have in my feet stronger.

It's a shame that pop culture seems to have _ran_ in the other direction (maximalist ultra-cushioned clown shoes). I honestly have no idea how people walk in those things. I purchased a pair of BOHEMPIA minimalist hemp chucks the other day. It came with a ~2-4mm insert for comfort. It felt like the cushion from the inserts made my legs work so much harder. All felt right once I took them off.

That said, I never ran barefoot except for a very short segment one time. Actual barefoot running is a whole other experience. Huaraches, which I've also run with, don't compare. I'm scared to do it more often due to glass shards and other fun things on the road, but if I ran more often and on smooth, unobstructed pavement, I'd absolutely do it barefoot.

I'd alway been prone to avoiding shoes. I started running when I was 16 (1986). During high school I'd run 10-14 miles a night about five days a week, mostly barefoot.

I didn't start regularly wearing shoes until after college. Since I started wearing shoes there has been a significant change in my foot structure. My big toes have moved outward by at least 10 degrees. Before then they were directly in-line with the bones and ligaments running down the foot.

When you walk and run barefoot your foot soles get much thicker. You learn how to respond to your feet. I tend to not get splinters or glass slivers because I can feel them before I put my full weight down. Even when something does pierce the skin, it doesn't penetrate the sole, and I can just pick up my foot and grab it out with my fingers.

One of the most interesting benefits seems to be resistance to fungal infections. If I ever start to feel itching in my feet, then I go for a long walk barefoot on concrete. It just ends.

Seems we've attracted all the barefoot runners in this thread and none of the common-footed people...

Anyways, I'll add my experience with barefoot running:

- Forefoot/midfoot strike is the most important takeaway. Heel strikes are for walking (slow, low-impact), not running (faster, higher-impact).

- I used to get shin splints from sports like soccer and basketball. But as long as I do some barefoot jogging (1-2x/week) I'm pain free. I think it strengthens the supportive muscles around the knee and ankle. All the leg muscles, really.

- Speaking of soccer, anyone have recommendations for wide cleats?

- I only got one tiny thorn/splinter in the past few years of going barefoot.

- I'd rather jog on concrete than grass because grass can hide things like sharp objects or doggy dookie. In general, I run barefoot in places I trust, and I always scan the ground ahead of me as I run.

Note that I'm an amateur runner, not doing more than 5Ks. But cardio conditioning is my limiting factor, not feet or legs.

A neighbor, who I don't think runs much if at all, was greatly taken with the book, and asked me about the minimal shoes. I told her that in my prime running days I usually weighed half again what she has ever weighed when not pregnant--I hit down a bit harder.

On the other hand, I have never cared for the big puffy shoes. My preferred shoe was the ASICS Excalibur GT. They haven't made them in about 40 years, and who knows whether I'd still like them with my older feet.

I was amused by the book's argument that elaborate shoes brought on a rash of injuries. No, the running craze that set in during the late 1970s brought on that rash. It's hard to get running-related injuries when you aren't running, and before about 1975 few adults ran much.

It's a pretty good article.

In that era I saw two major misconceptions around minimalism in running footwear. The first is the idea that heel-to-toe "drop" is the the main important metric -- of course, a shoe company thing. Actually what matters a lot more is proprioception -- the feeling of knowing where your foot is in space relative to the ground, and also the feedback your foot is getting from the ground.

The second misconception is that it's important to switch over 100%. Related to this is a misconception that somewhat more minimalist is better. As a competitive runner, I saw benefits from mixing in barefoot strides and a couple miles per week barefoot on soccer fields while keeping my training shoes the same. I'd recommend others do the same, and very gradually increase mileage.

The challenge for research in my understanding is that it's very hard to track long-term injury prevention and performance improvement in a statistically significant way. You can measure what happens when habitually shod people do a barefoot run, and you can go to Kenya and study how habitually barefoot people land when they put on shoes, but that's different from the long term impact on your gait of changing your footwear for a long period of time. (I'm not a researcher myself but I've talked to them.)

So really nothing beats running on a good surface completely barefoot; it is amazing, but it is also not always practical, and is definitely not necessary to get most of the barefoot benefits.

Nor for that matter are odd looking feet gloves, ultra-thin soles, expensive sandals etc.

What does matter though is a) having a shoe that allows the mechanics of the lower leg and foot to work; zero drop, no arch supports and a wide toe box are essential. And b) taking the time to build up the wasted musculature (mostly in the feet) that may well have had a lifetime of being splinted and not being used as it was evolved for.

Least that's the sample size of one experience of a late fifties, 100kg who did multiple marathons, half's etc both before and after switching to barefoot and minimalist shoes after coming across the Born to Run book in 2010 while trying to figure out how to avoid injuries.

(bonus injury prevention tip would be off-road running in the green. Not only good for the head, but the added terrain variety varies the loads on the joints and helps train core stability)

I'm still running in my vibrams mostly because I've not had a reason to change and researching alternative shoes is annoying and expensive, limiting my experimentation with different brands and models. I also put in a good amount of mileage and worry how long the shoe will last. I'm mostly considering changing because vibrams aren't on sale as often, carried by fewer retailers, and sizing online is a pain (especially when they don't list the european size).

I didn't start out of any book hype but bought a pair out of curiosity and then lost my regular running shoes before a race. It was a monthly 5k and my time dramatically improved that month (I had also switched to a standing desk, making root cause fuzzier, which I also still use). Most of my running is on rough, rocky trails except when they are wet or for the 5k.

If you were a red-blooded progressive maker-type of person in 2010, and you read Born to Run and didn't immediately go out and buy a pair of Vibram 5 Fingers, I really have to wonder if we're going to get along.

Never use the shoes anymore but that book has made me a healthier human for sure.

The article is not telling what happened after the hysteria. This movement settled and manifested to a "natural running" idea. We now have Altra, Topo Athletic, Hoka, Invo8 and others, offering shoes with more or less flat soles. Encouraging you to run with a natural running pose. This does not mean cushioning wouldn't be allowed.

I have run barefoot and used minimal soles for more than 20 years, also using "normal" shoes from time to time, most of the time I use minimal, no heel soles. That is something I did when I started working from home long hours as heels were very harmful for me.

If you are thinking about doing it when you never did before, DON'T. You should be doing a progressive transition. It changes your knees, ankles and calves. It should take at least 6 months to a year.

If you don't do that, you will injury yourself. People running Marathons barefoot suddenly are risking a lot.

i started and ran a barefoot running club back then. it doesn't make your foot stronger. but you do learn to put up with pain.

i did real no shoe barefoot running and pushed most people to try that. it did have an effect; no more twisted ankles. i got them quite often and never after 3 months of no shoes. there was a kid who eventually played d1 ball who joined because he had 'bad ankles' and still credits me for solving that.

you can get all the benefits of barefoot running by running or jogging once a week on a beach or soft grass soccer field. i think it's building up muscles in the leg to better balance you. no changes occur in the actual foot.