"What has the medical community said?
"Plenty. Medical professionals quoted in The Times claim 'there is no scientific research that shows barefoot running reduces injuries.' Other doctors believe that while shoeless running isn't inherently dangerous, 'bare feet aren't meant to support running on modern day hard-top surfaces.' For all of running shoes' flaws, they 'excel at diminishing the force of impact on hard ground.'"
Professor Daniel Lieberman at Harvard has shown that running shoes do an abysmal job of diminishing the force of impact.
In fact barefoot runners experience no shock at all regardless of the surface they're running over, while shod runners experience a force of several times body weight.
This is the key to understanding the appeal of barefoot running: it's fun without the pain of impact.
Other than the conclusion being wrong, a nice piece. ;)
UGH! where did this idea come from that our arch which is found in nature and architecture unsupported, that OURS must be??
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