Barefoot running also referred to, as ‘natural running’ is as obvious
as it sounds; running with no shoes. Barefoot is something that has
trickled down from our ancestors, throughout history running has
been performed barefoot or in thinly soled shoes such as moccasins.
It is believed that ancient Grecian Olympians ran barefoot. Seen as
the natural way to run, it is still practiced in cultures across the globe,
in countries such as Mexico and Africa.
The natural way to run is how you could describe barefoot running
best as it is how people have ran for many years. Scientists explain,
the way that your foot hits the floor when you run, and the way that
affects the rest of your body creates more of a shock to your knees,
back and head when you are wearing thickly soled shoes that are
popularized today. When barefoot you are forced to drop your foot
and put your weight on the balls and toes of your feet compared to
the heel of your trainer. This causes a reaction all the way up your
body, creating a better after affect on the rest of your body. When
racing barefoot studies have shown running barefoot can increase
your speed and running efficiency.
Barefoot running has been popularised by many Olympians, in
1960 Ethiopia’s Abebe Bikila won consecutive gold medals whilst
running barefoot. Since then, and after a handful of shoeless athletes,
Christopher McDougall’s book, ‘Born to Run’ an adventure started
when McDougall asked the question, ‘why does my foot hurt?’ this
then led to an exploration to find a tribe of long distance runners
and learn their secrets. McDougall found the Tarahumara Indians
from Mexico who have running for thousands of miles down to
an art. Using their running skills simply for their everyday lives,
challenging animal’s that are known for their speed, like the cheetah
or the racehorse.
A study was produced at Harvard University by Daniel Lieberman’s
Skeletal Biology Lab ‘ Investigating the biomechanics of endurance
running, comparing habitually barefoot runners with runners who
normally run in modern running shoes with built-up heels, stiff soles
and arch support.’ Their findings show that its all about how your
foot lands when you are running, if you strike on the forefoot or
mid-foot, these do not create the large impact on the rest of your
body. This strike is normally the way in which you would land when
barefoot. This then means that people who are running barefoot can
take on harder surfaces with much more ease when landing on the
ground.
Runner’s World Editor-in-Chief, David Willey wrote, ‘There’s no
single answer or prescription that’s right for every runner when it
comes to footwear and running form.’
“There are benefits from bare foot running, however it has to be a
learned skill. You can’t just one day decide to run with no trainers as
you strike with a different area of the foot. Once the technique has
been practiced it can reduce impact and therefore prevent injuries,”
Physiotherapist Jess Dukes.
Millie is training for a half marathon at the moment, and also plays
for a women’s netball league. “In school I would always prefer bare
foot running, I ran both the 800m and 1500m sprint barefoot, even
though the teachers wouldn’t let me, I just whipped of the trainers
just before starting.” Now when running she swears by her Nike Fly
Knits, Fly Knits have the normal support on the sole, yet have the
lightweight knit body that is said to create the barefoot feel. Millie
however thinks that they aren’t actually that similar to bare foot
running because of the heel, and would always prefer going for a no
trainer run. “I always felt faster and better bare foot.”
Reece a member of Southampton Solent athletics team who trains
five times a week with a mixture of track sessions and cross-country,
always prefers running in shoes. “I will wear trainers for a long run,
racing flats for training and spikes for racing. I would use really
lightweight shoes if I was training for a long time, but I would
never go bare foot.” Reece refers to bare foot running as minimalist
running, and is aware of the Nike bare foot feel trainer. “The idea
is to mimic cross country spikes almost, to recreate the effect of
running on your toes.”
With a strict training programme, like any prep for a marathon or
another sport, bare foot running has to be taken step by step. Making
sure you’re body is ready for the differences that this new technique
will be making to the way you run and what happens next. However
in the long run, benefits like speed and outweighing the down sides –
its just whether you’ve got the soles for it.