That post is a joke, right? There can't be people that dumb or naive.
The modern running shoe adds additional protection that the feet would otherwise lack. Padded sole material ensure that shock waves are eliminated on hard surfaces such as asphalt and concrete. A molded insole provides necessary support to the arch and prevents the harmful rolling of the ankle that results in mobile feet. The toes are forced upwards and inwards to provide focussed directional support. The heel enables a more natural heel to toe running stride that is not possible with bare feet or in minimalist shoes.
Wow! How many falsehoods can be typed into one paragraph? And it just gets worse and worse from there.
Josh, it certainly is never my intent to make my friends look foolish! I did not think this blog post would have been any problem when I shared it here. I will pass your message on to Ej and I am sure he will kill your comment.
I ran with a podiatrist in minimal shoes last week and had an amazing time. A few years back he ran a 4.07 mile and sub 14min 5km so I guess you could say he knows how to run. He also runs twice a day. Beyond being a straight-up and really nice guy he is also consumed by barefoot running ideas and a sincere desire to do the very best for his patients. He's read all the books we talk about here and took his shoes off for part of the run to work towards toughening them up. Anyway, I agree the spoof letter was funny but knowing that it is such changes my willingness to endorse it. There are good podiatrists out there too.