Forget Sarcasm, What's the DUMBEST Comment You've Heard

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May 13, 2010
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#1
Of the hundreds of comments I received at yesterday's race, two stood out as being really absurd.

" There's a book out called Born to Run that says that using the most minimal shoes or even barefoot is actually better, you should read it, it says that what you're doing might even turn out to be the way to go"



And my favorite, asked as a runner pulled up next to me two miles into the race on a broken up section of Tarmac which I was handling with ease: "Do you train barefoot too or just race barefoot"
 
#2
I haven't heard anything

I haven't heard anything majorly stupid yet but I haven't raced barefoot so I'm confident I'll have something to contribute soon enough. The training one you got just made me shake my head in disbelief though.
 
#3
I get the training comment

I get the training comment all the time.

The most lame one I got was from a lady who said, "Are you really running barefoot?" as I passed her by in my bare feet. I'm like, "Yes I am, and you're not seeing things." ;-)
 
#4
I thought this was stupid at

I thought this was stupid at the time, though I'm not sure it's the dumbest thing I've ever heard.

At the start line of Grandma's Marathon last month, a lady came up and asked me, "Do you like your Vibram shoes?"

Not an unusual question. But really...at the start line of a marathon? No lady...I hate them. That's why I decided to spend the next 4.5 hours running in them.
 
#5
I guess I don't look at any

I guess I don't look at any comment as dumb because I just assume people don't know better. And if we shun them, for their ignorance, then Nike wins.

I like talking about it, esp. when people want to hear more than "Yes" to the "do you like running barefoot/in vibrams" question. Makes for some interesting convos.
 
#6
I still get asked if I've

I still get asked if I've read Born to Run once in a while. And people are always forwarding me barefoot articles a few weeks or even months after they've come out.

Thanks to the people here, on RW, and FB, I am pretty sure I have glanced over pretty much every bit of barefoot, VFF, minimalist, and anti-shoe material out there...usually within 15 minutes after they get posted on the internet.
 
#7
I get a lot of people saving

I get a lot of people saving me articles too, Shacky. Funny and sweet all at the same time.

Jess, you are wise beyond your years. Always reply with kindness and a smile on your face, and our sport will receive a whole lot more support than we could ever wish for.
 
#8
I overheard someone say " He

I overheard someone say " He must be on drugs and don't realize he don't have any shoes on" of course the person probably didn't realize I heard him? I just ran on paying him no mind. To me that was incredibly stupid! Who would say that? I always try to be nice and not come across in a negative light. Doesn't look good to project the image of a hateful barefooter. Not to mention you lose part of your self respect and integrity along the way, it's not worth it!
 
#9
Yeah, even if I marvel at the

Yeah, even if I marvel at the stupidity of some people I try to always answer with a smile unless the comment is extremely hostile. I know I'm most likely the only barefooter they'll see in a very long time and I know I have a responsibility as an ambassador. If I behave badly it makes the rest of you look like idiots too so I try to avoid it as much as I possibly can.
 
#10
I had a crossing guard at the

I had a crossing guard at the local school ask me "don't you step on stuff"

I said "All the time"

Here's your sign!
 
#11
I'm glad you got my back,

I'm glad you got my back, BB. ;-)
 
#12
My argument for why it's not

My argument for why it's not "dumb" is what if they just didn't know any better?

It's like when they thought the world was flat instead of round. That's stupid NOW but back then, that's all they knew.

I never contemplated barefoot running until I started my blog and stumbled upon another one who was into Vibrams. That's when my research started. But if I had never done that, I would have never gone to a race and probably never see anyone run in VFFs and most likely never realize that running barefoot is natural and fits our bodies' design.

It's just like how the majority of the world still uses Internet Explorer (good Christ). They just don't know any better.
 
#13
 earlier this week, from half

earlier this week, from half a block away, young kid, with a girl and a baby stroller..."I have some shoes I can sell you."

me "Those are REALLY bad for your feet."

him "How do you figure?"

me "I don't have time to go into it right now, if you really want to know, do the research."
 
#14
 One of my favorite comments

One of my favorite comments was from a little kid who started chasing me while yelling, "Mister, you are breaking the law!"
 
#15
Now that's hysterical and

Now that's hysterical and sweet, Matt. That's what the child probably was told by their parent.
 
#16
Not really dumb, but I tend

Not really dumb, but I tend to get some paternalistic attitude from other runners. Like they all want to save me from myself. By far, the worst was the guy in VFFs that gave me unsolicited advice on barefoot running. He was a real jerk. It was a 5 mile race on Thanksgiving. I did pretty well - 44 mins - so I can't see why someone would think I needed a lot of "help". He was all "blah blah blah - let me tell you how it's done. I am the MASTER of barefoot running and you are my pupil and my VFFs are the most awesome things in the world". After a few minutes of that crap, I interrupted him and asked, "Wait - hang on a minute... Do you even run barefoot?" No, he doesn't. So I told him if he ever wanted to run barefoot, I would be happy to offer him some tips. And he got all embarrassed, and started trying to sell me on the VFFs, about how they offered the perfect balance of freedom and protection. THEN he tried to sell me on POSE... at which point I walked into the ladies room.
 
#17
The best one I got is when

The best one I got is when running an 8 mile in corse with my unit shoes started killing my feet so I took them off and ran the last half barefoot. went from deadlast to finishing 5th in the run, but as I passed a sergeant first class he said:Hey bubba where's your shoes, He then says are you on crack you need to go back to the company before you hurt your feet. I replied thats where I'm headed. He says then why you running. Being 3 miles out from the campany on a trail in the woods I could only say walking takes longer and I'm not going to be last.
 
#19
I guess this was kind of

I guess this was kind of dumb: someone in my new running group asked me if I know those things on my feet are called "Huaraches" :D
 
#20
 I get over and over "Doesn't

I get over and over "Doesn't that hurt?"

Since I am an ambassador of BF running, I just say nicely, "No, it feels pretty awesome!" Which I have to say is hard to do on mile 11 of a 12 mile run when that's your longest run in a year. just saying. ;)
 
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