A Brief History of Barefoot Running By Roger Robinson, Running Times Magazine

[Barefoot TJ]

A Brief History of Barefoot Running By Roger Robinson, Running Times Magazine

Check out the article on the home page here: http://barefootrunners.org/story/brief-history-barefoot-running-roger-robinson-running-times-magazine

 

[DB]

This is a fantastic article,

This is a fantastic article, TJ. Thank you for posting it here.

I was unaware of Robinson, but he certainly looks to be an authority on the history. The tone of his article is a little harsh, in my opinion, on McDougall (implied, indirect, and unnamed criticism). McDougall didn't set out to write the definitive academic history. I think McDougall should be credited with doing far more homework and investigation than most highly rated books in the science journalism category (and Born to Run isn't even in that category).

I was surprised that Robinson didn't mention Gordon Pirie, who was perhaps the most outspoken critic of the modern running shoe and was an early advocate for barefoot and minimalist running.

In any event, there's a lot of really good history in Robinson's article and he points us in other directions to learn more.

 

[kentox]

I was waiting for Gordon

I was waiting for Gordon Pirie name to come up but I learnt a lot of additonal history instead. Thank you for posting.

 

[Neil_D]

Hi there,Good to hear Ron

Hi there,

Good to hear Ron Hill get a mention, I used to go on regular training runs with his son Graham who was a bloody good runner.

I was chatting with Ron a few months ago about his barefoot running days and why he stopped. Apparently he was running in a cross country race barefoot and he stood on a bottle which went into his heel. It took him a week digging the glass out with knitting needles.

He is still running now, still enteres races and is still quite speedy at 72 I believe.

Gordon Pirie has a book worth reading that can be found at:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/13695/Gordon-Piries-Running-Fast-and-Injury-Free

In there he forecasts the injuries that modern running shoes will bring and also how to run correctly ie in the barefoot style.



I'll probably catch up with Ron in August so I might get a bit more info out of him regarding his earlier running career, I'll keep you posted.



Regards



Neil

 

[Barefoot Warren]

Very good read!!! nice

Very good read!!! nice post!!!

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Bloody.  Is that a curse

Bloody. Is that a curse word? Do we have to edit that post? ;-) Hee.

 

[stomper]

I think this article reveals

I think this article reveals a lot -- about runners and their distinct personalities, not about barefoot running. I think it helps explain why (online at least) the debate about barefoot running has been so heated.

The person that wrote this article has a hoary load of experience and anecdote, but at the same time seems to live on another planet from me. The article is entirely about the performance and training practices of elite athletes. The author's bio line even includes one of his personal PR's. And that's fine -- it would make sense if his article was called "Barefoot Running and Elite Athletes," but since it's called "A brief history of barefoot running" that suggests that performance is all that matters. To every runner.

Which is so not true. Even if barefoot running was terrible for performance, I would still be doing it.

My own history of barefoot running would include mud squelching between the toes, unexpected slip-n-slides on loose shale, and random sprinting matches with squirrels and dogs and 5-year olds. And would not neglect to mention the quality of the recovery beer.

* ps. "hoary" means ancient, wintery, sage. there's no "w" .

 

[Barefoot TJ]

For a long while now, one of

For a long while now, one of my ideas for a newsletter edition is "The Greats of Barefoot Running" or "Barefoot Running Greats." I will be sure to include all these guys and gal/s, but will also concentrate on those who are not always considered elite, such as Ken Bob, Rick, Ted, Christopher, Sweeney, Romero Brothers, John, Jason, Michael, but also be sure to include the likes of Abebe Bikila, Herb Elliott, Bruce Tulloh, Zola Budd, Doc. Charlie Robbins, and Gordon Pirie. I'm sure I've missed a few, but you get the point. They will be in there. I just have to find the time to do the research and make it happen.

 

[JosephTree]

I agree that there was a kind

I agree that there was a kind of curmudgeonly undertone early in the article and I think that the focus is on traditional racing and competitive running. (It almost seems as if this very knowledgeable author can't believe that C. McDougall got away with such an incomplete rehash of what for the author was old news and then he (CM) gets famous and maybe even rich off it. Sheesh! )

What's new in the world, to me at least, since the revered masters strode the world's race courses is the rise of the idea of running just for the joy of it. Maybe it's lifestyle running or spiritual running or you might have a better name for it. But there seems to be just a lot more of us out here these days, running kind of slowly but really loving it. For us, BF &M running is a path to even deeper appreciation of what we love.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Beautiful, JT.Regardless of

Beautiful, JT.

Regardless of what anyone thinks, Chistopher McDougall will go down in history for bringing barefoot running "back" into the forefront, and THIS TIME, making it stick.

 

[Tender Toes Mark]

The reason Christopher

The reason Christopher McDougall's book is such a success is that he tells a great story. His writing is highly entertaining, even while being informative. Never mind that the information he infuses into the story isn't particularly new to those who are interested enough in running to have found it in less entertaining media. McDougall's success isn't from getting the information out there, but the way he got it out there. His book is entertaining enough to get everyday folks (weekend warriors and home town 5k participants; not just running elites) to read it with interest and learn something new to them (even if it's information elite runners have known for decades).

 

[jschwab]

I don't think the importance

I don't think the importance of McDougall's book just comes down to promoting barefoot running. He basically popularized a bit of science that is stunning. That is, not only can humans run, and even run barefoot if they want - they are born to run, it's in their genetic makeup and it's what we do to survive. I don't think McDougall's book is nearly as fascinating in what it says about what to put on your feet or not put on your feet as how it spoke to masses of people, runners or not, who felt they had to "fix" themselves or they were going "against nature" in running marathons and ultras or just running at all. How inspiring has it been to people to see themselves as a species in a completely new light? That is the magic and significance of his book, in my opinion. And once you say it's completely natural for people to run and that long distance running is not a crazy modern construct for spectacle, the next step is for people to say to hell with Nike medical devices for my feet. Sure, people have always run barefoot and it was "just running" and that is how I view it - I may run barefoot but I'm still just running like anyone else. But running itself still had a mystique that made it inaccessible to the average person. What's important to me is that the average Joe sees McDougall's book or sees these ideas presented in the NY Times endless blogs and thinks "hey, I was born to do this running thing and it doesn't matter how old I am, or what my life has been like, or how many cigarettes I've smoked, I'm going to run!" And, judging from my mommy's group and what I see on the trail, that is EXACTLY what happened.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Excellent, J!  Well put!

Excellent, J! Well put!

 

[stomper]

Right, I think the thing that

Right, I think the thing that most amazed me about McDougal's book wasn't the stuff about shoes being bad. I was familiar with the arguments for going barefoot, and had done a fair amount of it in an attempt to "be healthy." Instead, it was hearing about people who just ran for the sake of running. Because it was fun. Not 'cause it was good for them. That was so new. That freed me. I'd never met any runner like that character who was "too wild for rugby parties." Can you have a running muse? if so it's her.