I too would love to see more research on the supposed virtues of barefoot running, and hope that indeed more work is done to research injury prevention – whatever the method.

I would ask again though that when presenting your love of barefoot running you refrain from denigrating those that have made a different choice. Doing so does nothing to strengthen your case, and in fact damages it considerably.

Second, elite runners race in flats or track spikes with little or no padding. Even so, as the NYT blog post suggests, they naturally or by training strike in the mid- and forefoot, i.e., precisely the gait that is naturally assumed by barefoot runners. So to the extent they train in padded trainers, they don’t disprove the fact that heel-striking in shoes generates more impact force than forefoot striking regardless of footwear.

There is no research that supports the claim that padded trainers are injury preventing on any surface. If there were any such benefits, it would be in the interests of shoe companies to demonstrate them. The fact that they have not speaks volumes.

Finally, I would put to you the claim that the a millimeter or less of rubber or non-shock absorbing coated ballistic cloth makes a significant difference in the impact forces experienced by a runner wearing minimalist footwear. In fact, my experience is that even minimalist footwear increases my tendency to get sloppy and heel-strike by virtue of the decreased sensitivity to irregularities in the running surface. My legs and joints have never felt so fresh and unjarred following a long run as when I have run completely barefoot.

But I understand that anecdote is not evidence. I hope that the increased prevalence of barefoot running will generate the data to put relative injury rates to the test. For my own part, I know I have never been injury-free running the same mileage on the same routes before I went barefoot/minimal. If you feel the same way about padded trainers, then by all means log the miles in them.

If, say, one of the Nike-sponsored elite runners went to Nike and said, “I think I can reduce my injuries, train harder, win medals, and set records if you’d design me a minimalist running sandal .. and when I do you’ll make millions selling these cheaper to manufacture sandals at huge markups”, Nike would do this so fast it would boggle the mind.

That this is not happening, and there are no elite runners running in no/minimal footwear and winning major races and breaking records speaks more loudly than any clinical trial ever could.

One missed opportunity in the interview was when they saw the “men’s pro race”.

“After a mile or so we peeled off the loop and caught the men’s pro race at the Fifth Avenue Mile. As the leaders blazed by us, Christopher admired their form. “Look at how lightly they land,” he said, “even at that speed.”

The author missed a great opportunity to ask Mr. McDougal … “why are none of those pros running barefoot? Or at least with minimalist moccasins?”

The barefoot running movement would do a better job of advancing their cause if they convinced some world class runners to train, race, win medals, and break records barefoot or in minimalist moccasins … and if didn’t coat every article on their cause with haughty suggestions that shoe wearers are mindless sheep wasting their money on “snake oil”.