Barefoot Running Gets In Stride, By Nathan Klein The Daily Telegraph August 26, 2012
Barefoot running gets in stride
Barefoot Running Gets In Stride
by Nathan Klein
The Daily Telegraph
Sydney, Australia
August 26, 2011
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IT’S the exercise phenomenon on track to be “bigger than bootcamps” – and you don’t even have to buy shoes.
Barefoot running is ditching its cult status and going mainstream.
Long the domain of a select few believers who idolised the ethos spelled out in Christopher McDougall’s best-seller Born To Run, and a contributing factor behind the dominance of African distance runners, barefoot running has surged in popularity in the last year, according to Sweat Sydney coach Sean Williams.
And it’s leading to a complete rethink of the way running shoes are designed.
“Everyone was pretty well brainwashed into believing running shoes were more comfortable when they first came out, me included,” Mr Williams said.
“But now that almost all major running shoe companies are stocking these minimalist, glove-like shoes in their range, going barefoot has become a world phenomenon.”
Mr Williams said by 2020, 75 per cent of running shoes on the market would be minimalist shoes to allow people to run barefoot without the risk of stepping on sharp objects.
“Two years ago hardly anyone was asking me about running barefoot, now I get contacted every day virtually.”
He said running barefoot results in fewer stress fractures, achilles tendonitis, and knee reconstructions in the long-term. Internationally renowned chiropractor, Dr. James Stoxen DC supported Mr Williams, and claimed shoes were a waste of time and money when running.
“They do more harm than good,” he said. ‘When you wear running shoes, there’s no spring in the heel like there is naturally in the foot, so you’re colliding with the ground over and over again with no suspension mechanism.”
