Run Free, Run Barefoot!
General Health, Orthopedics
Does anyone remember the time as a child when running barefoot across the lawn, shrieking with joy and playing around was a big source of happiness? Spending hefty amounts on best of the running shoes, we have completely forgotten what it is like to run or just walk barefoot. However, with the growing awareness and upcoming trend of running barefoot in the past few years, more and more people are taking an interest in shunning their sports shoes for a good run.
But the question is: is it worth the hype that is created around it? This trend is picking up even more pace after Christopher McDougall’s epic book Born to Run in 2009 which has impacted a lot of people in the running community. It is claimed that running barefoot strengthens the feet, decrease the risk of stress injuries, and improve the overall performance of the runner. Nike Performance Council Member Lance Walker says that there is a change in the activation pattern of the barefoot runner which is related to strengthening and improvement of hip and lower limb muscles along with better motion of ankle. Going further ahead he even said that there is significant improvement in running efficiency and endurance in case of running without shoes on. Sports Medicine specialists are also highlighting the benefits of running without shoes as it reduces sports injuries like stress fractures and also the impact on knees.
Studies published in renowned journals like Nature suggest that there is difference in footfall of a barefoot runner and a shod runner. The science behind it shows that the human foot is designed in a way that during the fall it is pushed in a forward motion with a spring like motion of the foot’s natural arch, leading to minimal or no impact collision in comparison to heel-strike motion of shoe runner.
History tells us that running barefoot that our ancestors walked and ran barefoot in search of basic amenities and it was a very common practice. Over time, they started wearing kind of shoes made from woven sage-bush and moccasins. It is believed that runners in ancient Greece ran long distances barefoot and the legend of Pheidippides claims that he ran from Athens to Sparta in no more than 36 hours in order to inform Athenians of their victory over Persia. In more recent times, the famous Abebe Bikila of Ethiopia won the Rome Olympic marathon, 1996, by running barefoot as he didn’t have running shoes in his size. Another Olympian, Zola Budd from South Africa ran without shoes in 1980 Olympics Games and also won the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in 1985 and 1986. There are several other prominent runners who choose to run long distance marathons and competitions with no shoes on their feet and they have performed well in doing so.
Even today, barefoot running is a regular practice amongst Kenyans and Tarahumara Indians. This practice is also gaining lot of fame in the rest of the world. The Barefoot Runner Society in the US was founded in 2009 and has more than 1500 members today. Many marathon and cross country runners have come up with their success stories of running without shoes. There are several names with track records and titles like Teage O’Connor who broke the record for 100 km run with an aim to raise funds his environmental education center known as Crow’s Path. Ken Bob Saxton is popularly known as the “godfather of barefoot running”, and Todd Byers from Seattle who ran over 100 marathons barefoot are some other shining names in the list of achievers.
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Despite all these facts, the debate for barefoot vs. shod runners is still an ongoing topic and there aren’t many reports in its support. It is still not certain that the increase in strength and integrity of foot’s natural arch in barefoot running will impact on the sports performance or injury-reduction. The only true evidence that research support is that running barefoot improves metabolic efficiency, more than in the case of running with shoes on. Another problem which a common runner or an interested one will face is that years of practice of using shoes had made our foot soft and weak because cushioning and padding to the feet. So starting immediately with barefoot running creates musculoskeletal injury like pain in the ankles and forefoot and even blisters. So a person should ease into the practice of running barefoot by first beginning with slow and short running without shoes. Also, sets of strengthening exercises for foot, ankle, hips and lower limb muscles can help build up our core strength which will reduce the risk of related injuries.
As the bottom line, many sports persons have explained barefoot running to be joyous and exhilarating experience. It can give you a sense of liberation and freedom which enhances our overall health and mental peace.
Written By Dr. Suneet Singh
