Shanghai Running Magazine Shanghai Running Q2 2014. Volume 2 | Page 14

The Truth About Barefoot Running By Victor Rowse Unless you have been living under a rock somewhere for the past few years, you would probably have heard of the barefoot running movement. Its origin and growth trajectory bear remarkable similarities to the paleo movement. Around the same time people started questioning the healthfulness of processed foods and wondering whether we might be better off sticking to whole natural foods like we did for two million years, people also started wondering whether or not our bodies are actually designed for wearing shoes. The running shoe exploded in popularity after the Second World War based on the dual promise of better performance and reduced injury rates. With their cushioned heels, arch supports, insoles, and orthotics, this would appear to make good sense. And yet 60 years on from their development, we still have no firm evidence that they have achieved on either promise. In 1960, Ethiopia’s AbebeBikila, the greatest Olympic marathoner of all time, won the first of his consecutive gold medals without shoes in a world record time. Zola Budd set world records in the 5k in 1984 and 1985, was the world cross-country champion in 1985 and 1986, and set the world indoor record in the 3k in 1986 – all while running barefoot. How could a barefoot runner compete with someone running with effectively a set of springs in their heels? Well, it turns out, the human 14 foot has its own natural spring – but we fail to put it to use when we put on our shoes. Running shoes typically make runners strike the ground with their heel first, whereas barefoot running changes the gait to a forefoot strike. Landing on your forefoot allows your arch, your Achilles tendon, and indeed the entire structure of your foot to act like the powerful natural catapult that it is. Add to that the benefit of not having to carry the additional load from your shoes (energy demand increases about 1% for every 100g of additional mass on the foot), and you start to understand why running barefoot may not be a disadvantage at all in terms of performance. Perhaps the more intriguing claim from the barefoot camp is that running barefoot may actually be safer. “Not a single paper has ever shown that modern running shoes reduce injury rates,” said Daniel Lieberman, PhD, a Harvard evolutionary biologist and running enthusiast. Research shows that barefoot runners land with greater plantar flexion at the ankle, which leads to shorter stride length © Shanghai Running 2014 and reduced impact. Reed Ferber, PhD, director of the Running Injury Clinic at the University of Calgary, pointed out that shorter strides are unlikely to be a cure-all, however.“When you shorten your stride you take more steps per kilometer,” he said. “But since your mass doesn’t change, that could be injury causative.” My guess is that we are probably no better off running in shoes than we are barefoot. The design of our feet is the product of millions of years of evolution. Unlikely to be out-done even by the brainiest of scientists in a mere 60 years.But given the fact that most of us are already fully adjusted to running in shoes, transitioning to barefoot or minimalist shoe running should be approached with caution – start with short runs on soft surfaces like sand or grass before progressing to harder surfaces. And always listen to your body. Victor is a fitness researcher and General Manager at Prime Fitness www.primefitness.cn, a personal training studio in the Former French Concession. Email: [email protected] © Shanghai Running 2014 15