Barefoot running

From WikiRun

Barefoot running involves running without wearing shoes. Hardcore "barefooters" prefer hard surfaces to softer terrain (e.g., grass, beaches); a few even venture off road.^[1] Heading up the movement is the barefoot running guru Ken Bob Saxton^[2], a barefoot marathoner from California.

Contents 1 Barefoot running technique 2 Prominent barefoot runners 3 Barefoot-style running shoes 4 Barefoot transition shoes 5 External links 6 References

Barefoot running technique

Barefoot running involves pushing from the ground with the ball of the foot rather than the heel, foot landing directly under the hips. "The force to drive you forward should only be applied after the foot has settled on the ground completely. Striking the ground, especially with the heel, causes trauma and makes the runner susceptible to injury".^[3] Proponents of barefoot running claim that running shoes with heavily padded heels will impede this natural motion, and causes "sloppy" footplant on the heal of the feet. One barefoot marathon runner states, "I am utterly convinced that your feet don't need support or conditioning. If they do, it's because you're not running correctly."^[1]

The technique of barefoot runners has been studied by Human Anthropologists at Harvard University for insights into human evolution.^[4][5][6]

Prominent barefoot runners

• Abebe Bikila former Olympic marathon world-record holder
• Bruce Tulloh former European 5k record-holder
• Rick Roeber current consecutive days running barefoot world-record holder
• Tegla Loroupe former Olympic marathon world-record holder
• Zola Budd former world record holder in the women's 5000 meters

On October 19, 2008, two brothers from Los Angeles, California, Alex and Julian Romano placed 1st and second respectively in 2:40:23 and 2:47:10 having run the entire course of the Duke City Marathon barefoot.^[7][8]

Barefoot-style running shoes

These shoes are designed to be lightweight and not incorporate bulky heel padding, so as to facilitate the more natural unshod running technique described above.

• Nike Free
• Vibram Fivefingers

Barefoot transition shoes

Transitioning from shod running to barefoot running requires patience and systematic training. This is critical in order to reduce related muscle and tendon soreness, as by awakening previously atrophied muscles (including medial arch).

• Skora Footwear

External links

• BarefootRunner.com
• Yahoo Groups forum
• Running Barefoot "HQ"
• Barefoot Rick's BarefootRunner.Org
• Barefoot Ted McDonald
• Is Barefoot Better? (The Wall Street Journal, June 6, 2006)
• Barefoot Erskien
• Is Barefoot Running Good For You?

References

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Parker-Pope, Tara (2006-06-06). 'Is barefoot better? Some say running shoeless benefits body and sole. Wall Street Journal.
2. ↑ LJWorld.com / Q&A with Ken Bob Saxton, barefoot-running pioneer
3. ↑ Gordon Pirie: Running Fast and Injury Free 21
4. ↑ Lieberman, Daniel; Dennis M. Bramble (2007). "The Evolution of Marathon Running Capabilities in Humans" (PDF). Sports Med 37 (4-5): 288-290. Adis Data Information BV. Retrieved on 2008-10-28. 
5. ↑ Bramble, Dennis; Daniel E. Lieberman (2004-11-18). "Endurance running and the evolution of Homo" (PDF). Nature 432: 345-352. Nature Publishing Group. Retrieved on 2008-10-28. “Another well-developed set of springs important to human running is the longitudinal arch of the foot. During walking, the plantar arch helps to maintain mid-tarsal rigidity for powered plantar flexion during toe-off, and absorbs some impact force (but only after heel strike); during running, the elastic structures of the plantar arch function as a spring, returning approximately 17% of the energy generated during each stance phase.” 
6. ↑ http://barefootrunner.org/reports/07harvard/07harvard.htm Retrieved 2008-10-27.
7. ↑ https://www.runraceresults.com/secure/raceresults.cfm?id=rcls2008 Retrieved 2008-10-27.
8. ↑ http://RunningBarefoot.org/?p=1281 Retrieved 2008-10-27.