"Barefoot Runner Braves Falmouth Road Race", or More Podiatric Baloney

The Falmouth Road Race is one of the most famous races in the United States, if you weren't aware.
So when a guy runs it barefoot, it's news in Massachusetts:

"...On Sunday, White and two other solid-soled souls plan on running the 39th New Balance Falmouth Road Race in their birthday boots.

"White, 47, began running barefoot about a year ago after he read Christopher McDougall's Born to Run, a 2009 book that, in part, brought barefoot running's status from an off-beat activity to a growing movement. "I had stopped pretty much completely for the past 15 or 20 years," said White, who ran track for University of Maine. 

"Although he enjoyed running in his younger days, nagging pains in his back and a knee kept him away from the sport, he said. But hearing McDougall speaking on the radio about his time witnessing Tarahumara Indians in Mexico running miles over rough terrain — a sight that inspired his book — prompted White to attend a conference about barefoot running where he heard Irene Davis speak...."

Pretty cool story.   Unfortunately, it features the Obligatory Dingbat Podiatrist Quote:

"But many in the podiatry field remain skeptical of the phenomenon. 'The literature is showing that there is increased injury — almost an epidemic — within barefoot running,' said Moira McDermott, founder of Lower Cape Podiatry in Brewster and a past president of Podiatric Medical Society. 'If you haven't grown up your whole life in your bare feet ... as an adult, feet need support.'"

This is really a sweet piece of disinfomation from what I'm coming to realize is an amazingly ignorant or dishonest profession.

By "the literature", she must be referring to stuff like this:

"Although there is no evidence that either confirms or refutes improved performance and reduced injuries in barefoot runners, many of the claimed disadvantages to barefoot running are not supported by the literature. Nonetheless, it seems that barefoot running may be an acceptable training method for athletes and coaches who understand and can minimize the risks. (J Am Podiatr Med Assoc 101(3): 231–246, 2011)"

Yes, that's right, this is from the Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association.  This lady was supposedly a past president of the Podiatric Medical Society.  So she either doesn't actually read "the literature", or she's not up on the latest literature (that article was from the May/June issue), or she's just making it up.  I'm going with the first or the last options, since there's precious little literature on the topic.  If she's not read this, she's likely not read anything.

And this:  "If you haven't grown up your whole life in your bare feet ... as an adult, feet need support." is just baloney.  Provide some evidence, Doctor.  It's a pity you don't have any.  In which case, you should be quiet.

And I put this under my "Diseases of Civilization" category of posts, because doctors like this one are a major cause of the diseases of civilization.

Here's a post-race report.  Podiatric fear-mongering aside:

"Curtis, who entered the race with three other members of the Barefoot Running Meetup Group, finished the 7-mile course in 1:09.21. 

"'My feet felt so good,' Curtis said. 'Running through water would make them cool. (Then) they would be dry again ... It was no problem at all.'

"Curtis said there was actually a fifth barefoot runner in the race, 'but he was so far ahead,' they weren't able to find out who he was."

P.S. From Craig Payne at Podiatry Arena:

"Quote: But many in the podiatry field remain skeptical of the phenomenon. 'The literature is showing that there is increased injury — almost an epidemic — within barefoot running,' said Moira McDermott, founder of Lower Cape Podiatry in Brewster and a past president of Podiatric Medical Society.

"I would love to know what literature that they think actually says that?
"Quote: Originally Posted by Craig Payne: 'what I object to is the misuse, misrepresentation, misquoting and misinterpretation of the science'
"Not a day goes by that I do not hear ANECDOTAL reports from podiatrists and other health professionals working in running injury clinics about the high number of barefoot runners that are getting injured, but that is NOT a scientific report and its certainly not 'literature' , so I wonder what Moria McDermott thinks she is quoting from?

Gee, I'd guess she's might have been reading your site: www.barefootrunningisbad.com

As shown here, and here, it's pretty clearly your site, Payne.

Dr. Payne is unmasked.
But at least he agrees with my interpretation of his colleague.  :)

"Barefoot Running Phenomenon Hits White Plains"

This is right up the road from my office.  Excellent. 

I've not seen any other barefoot runners on the roads around where I live and work, although Vibram-clad runners are becoming more common.

It includes an obligatory dingbat podiatrist paraphrase: 

"Some podiatrists warn that the proactive could be harmful as the world is no longer filled with grassy fields, but with pavement that can be littered with glass and other items harmful to your feel."

Of course, as we know, the podiatrist profession is coming around.

Barefoot Running and Podiatrists

Well, this is cool:

Background: Barefoot running is slowly gaining a dedicated following. Proponents of barefoot running claim many benefits, such as improved performance and reduced injuries, whereas detractors warn of the imminent risks involved.

Methods: Multiple publications were reviewed using key words.

Results: A review of the literature uncovered many studies that have looked at the barefoot condition and found notable differences in gait and other parameters. These findings, along with much anecdotal information, can lead one to extrapolate that barefoot runners should have fewer injuries, better performance, or both. Several athletic shoe companies have designed running shoes that attempt to mimic the barefoot condition and, thus, garner the purported benefits of barefoot running.

Conclusions: Although there is no evidence that either confirms or refutes improved performance and reduced injuries in barefoot runners, many of the claimed disadvantages to barefoot running are not supported by the literature. Nonetheless, it seems that barefoot running may be an acceptable training method for athletes and coaches who understand and can minimize the risks. (J Am Podiatr Med Assoc 101(3): 231–246, 2011)

Well, I'd say that this: "Barefoot Running More Efficient than Shod" could be considered "improved performance", but it also likely came out after this was submitted for publication.  That's a quibble.

I really couldn't ask for a better statement at this point.

What's coolest is that this appeared in the Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association.

I'm always happy to write a post about podiatrists that does not include the word "dingbat".

Obligatory Ding-bat Podiatrist Quote

Over at Barefoot Ted's Minimalist Runner's Group, it's long been noted that any story that's positive about running has to feature the obligatory podiatrist quote.  This is usually (but not always) the obligatory dingbat podiatrist quote because the podiatrist's opinion usually defies science, logic, and common sense.

Here's the lastest, in the article "Barefoot runner Caity McCardell ready to put her soles on the line":

"But Dr. John Pagliano, a Long Beach-based podiatrist who specializes in sports injuries, is not a fan of running shoeless.

"'If you're 150 pounds, whether you come down on your heels or your forefoot, it's still 150 pounds,' he said. 'I think you really need the shock absorbers from the shoe and control of shoes while running.'"

Thanks to the author of the story, who quoted this fellow after Prof. Lieberman explained why it's not true.
Here's the rest of the "series".

Vibrams Taking Off In The Military

Wow.  I'm just shocked at this article.  Read the whole thing, but here are some key excerpts (emphases are mine):

"The sergeant major of the Army is thinking about training for his next marathon in them, but Army officials have banned them from the PT test over worries they might give some soldiers an unfair advantage."

An unfair advantage.  Heck, the atom bomb was an unfair advantage.  Don't we want our troops to get all the unfair advantages they can?

"Air Force Command Chief Master Sgt. Jeffery Cui, at Bagram Airfield, has banned airmen from wearing them with the Air Force PT uniform in Afghanistan, citing their wear as one of the most violated rules on base in a recent edition of the Bagram Express."

That's pretty cool.  Bunch of rebels. ;)

"Down at Kandahar, however, military doctors are encouraging their use and even prescribing them for recovering runners.

"'VFFs are the best thing out there for rehabilitating lower extremity injuries,' says Navy doctor and physical therapist Lt. Cmdr. John Mahoney at Kandahar. 'I have converted a heck of a lot of people since I got here.'"

Wow! At least someone gets it!

"Before his latest assignment, he was the physical therapist for Naval Special Warfare Group 4 in Norfolk, Va. He estimates about 35 percent of SEALs have incorporated Vibram’s toe shoes into their workouts.

“Once Navy SEALs start wearing them, everybody in Virginia Beach wants to wear them,” he says.

This confirms what I've been hearing at Barefoot Ted's group for a year.

But then comes the obligatory dingbat podiatrist quote:

"The shoes are not for everyone, however.

"'Very, very flat-footed people should probably not wear them,' says Dr. Steven Pribut, a podiatrist and sports medicine expert in Washington, D.C., who specializes in working with runners.

That should read "who specializes in injuring runners".  We already know that barefoot is the best thing for flat feet.  Pribut is the guy who still has "A Brief History Of Sneakers" on his website, which contains such gems as:

"Within the context of modern athletic-shoe development, podiatric biomechanical thought and terminology have sunk deeply into the psyche of the athletic-shoe industry and the buying public. Words such as pronation, stability, and motion control are now widely used in the description and ranking of running shoes. The significance of types of feet and lasts, the use of motion-control devices, new shock-absorbing materials, and many other ideas have become common as a result of both podiatric sports medical influence and the realization that foot and lower extremity biomechanics plays a vital role in the performance of the casual athlete as well as the world-class athlete."

He's right, they became common.  Unfortunately they don't work.  Even worse, they injure the runners they're supposed to help:

"Every runner in the highly pronated group who wore a motion control shoe reported an injury. In other words, all runners (yes, 100%) who were supposed to be wearing a motion control shoe based on their degree of pronation got injured." [Emphases in the original]

Pribut does have some good advice, but it's sadly far outweighed by his bad advice.  But that's fodder for another post.

"Lt. Col. Kerry Sweet, the Army’s top foot doctor and chief of podiatry at Madigan Army Medical Center, Joint Base Lewis- McChord, Wash., has been monitoring the trend at his base.

"'We have not seen any appreciable — or even noticeable — increase in injuries as a result of people wearing these shoes,' he says, but he adds it may be too soon to tell. 'We’re in a real gray area right now.'

So despite what doctors like Pribut have been telling us minimalists for as long as I've been following this, a doctor who is actually monitoring minimalist runners reports no increase in injuries!  I wish I was shocked.

The article finishes up with a branch-by-branch status report, and a list of suggestions of how to get your commanding officer to allow you to wear toe shoes.  Clearly this is still up in the air in the Military, but the degree of acceptance is, to me, just shocking.

I never figured it would be going this quickly.

Now, just imagine if there was a study that actually finds minimalist shoes to be beneficial to injury rates...

UPDATE: Follow-up post.