Do we need to have a good beard to be a good barefoot runner? Yes. Am I in any position to be making universal statements like this? No. I started barefoot running in May of last year, in June I was able to participate in a BF KenBob workshop. I was hooked. Not only was his demeanor and information great, but man did that beard look awesome. I wanted one. I'm working on it, but have had to give in several times to pleas from my wife and trimmed it. I recently completed a half marathon barefoot, it was on pavement mostly and it was sub 20 degree weather. Needless to say my feet were not very happy with my decision and they were less happy with the thousands of people who seemed to leave more water on the ground than in their mouths at the water stops. My face, however, felt great. I noticed that several of the spectators seemed to believe that the beard and the Barefeet were connected. This may be due to statements about people who have longer beards, such as "you look like a homeless man." I guess people may also think that if you are running barefoot you may not have enough money for shoes, of course, they are spectators and most probably don't realize there was an entry fee that was substantial, and that my running attire was also not something that someone who was struggling to get by would purchase. i've also spent a considerable amount of time working with homeless people at a community mental health center. None of them were barefoot. I guess when it comes down to it for me it is simply an image. Barefeet and beardedface go together well. so start running and start growing........sorry ladies.