What Are the Benefits of Running Barefoot?
25 Mar
When the runner Siraj Gena crossed the finish line in first place at this year’s Rome marathon on Sunday he was missing his footwear. The Ethiopian had started the race wearing trainers but he ditched them about 500 meters before the end in tribute to legendary Ethiopian runner Abebe Bikila. In 1960 Bikila ran the entirety of the Olympic marathon, which was also held in Rome, barefoot.
Most runners put a lot of emphasis of their trainers and spend time and money finding the perfect pair. Recently however there has been a lot of interest in the idea of running barefoot or wearing trainers which simulate running barefoot. There are various reasons why running without trainers might be a good idea particularly if you are undertaking a big run such as a marathon. I have outlined some of the main benefits below:
- Running barefoot means you receive more feedback from your feet which can help you to improve your technique. Your balance should improve which will result in better support throughout your whole body. You will be able to ensure that you spread your toes in order to maximize your contact with the ground.
- When we run in shoes we tend to let our heels strike the ground first, this feels okay to us because of all the padding and impact protection in the heel of a running shoe, but it is not advised. When your heel hits the ground it acts as a brake which slows you down and transfers your energy into the heel of the shoe. If you look at the structure of your foot in becomes clear that the arch of your foot should absorb impact rather than your heel. Running barefoot lets you train yourself to land on your midfoot rather than your heel which keeps you moving with the minimum of resistance.
- Running barefoot may give you a more natural gait which means that you are using the correct muscles in your legs. Not having the boost of a padded heel may actually make you less prone to injury as it improves the position of your legs putting less strain on your Calf and Achilles.
There are clearly also potential downsides to running barefoot particularly if you train a lot. The changes in the way you run outlined above may lead to injury if you discard your trainers completely. If you mostly run on concrete you may find that not using trainers put excessive strain on your joints – perhaps the beach is the best place to start? You need to be careful where you run of course, running onto a rusty nail will put you out of action for long enough to seriously upset your training.
There are running shoes available which try to simulate the act of running barefoot without the risk of cutting your feet, Vibram Five Fingers are perhaps the most well known. Having not used the shoes I can’t say how well they work – I can say that they look somewhat creepy with their individual toe compartments. Barefootrunningshoes.org has more information including some interesting photos showing how the structure of our feet is changed by wearing shoes. Nike also produce a range of shoes which simulate barefoot running call NikeFree Shoes. You don’t need fancy trainers to experience running barefoot of course all you need is a dog poop free park!
