Why barefoot runners never win...a closed-minded view

Barefoot TJ

Barefoot TJ

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Mar 5, 2010
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#1
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#2
The author assumes we choose to run barefoot so that we can have quicker race times. Running faster has become less important to me and instead, running has become much more enjoyable.
 
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#3
Mike R is totally right...

I never started running barefoot for "running economy". I did it because I thought the form was better and I like the "feet-back" loop I experience.

I think we should stop trying to convince people BFR is better because of "running economy" but instead because the form is right and the feedback is better.
 
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#4
"Have you ever seen a bare- foot runner win a race? No, you probably haven’t. "

Um, also, how many bf runners are at a race? What is the probability, even if they follow the distribution of speeds of shod runners, that you would not only encounter a bf runner at a race, but one that happens to be able to run faster than most people enough to win a local race?
So probability that someone is bf* probability that someone is fast, really fast= small number, easily explained by the fact that both of the factors are small proportions.

before you even need to worry about efficiency and whether bf running helps with that.
 
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#5
The list of why I run bf or min-shod may be long or short, not sure, but speed wouldn't get noticed on the list, if it's even there (never measured my speed before, so I guess it never was a priority)
 
#6
OH and see this is why I never read these articles.
SAMPLE SIZE OF 12 is a BIG BIG problem for most any study. I could explain it to you if you want to know, but no one wants to know.
Instead:
Dueling spurious results is what you get when you do tons of studies with tiny sample size. Lots of competing conflicting, barely significant (clinically or statistically) results, so you just pick you're favorite and quote that one. Meanwhile, who knows what's really going on.
Sorry.
Venting.
Stats. is my business.
Sigh
 
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#8
I won a race. And I was the only barefoot runner at that race. So that must mean you have to be barefoot in order to win a race.
 
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#9
I started BF running not to win races, but to try out the theory that I read in Barefoot Running. I had bad knee, hip and ankle problems running in my "boat anchors." (the new term I just learned from you guys!)
When I was running in those boat anchors - I wasn't trying to win a race - I was just trying to do the best I could in that race - and enjoy the run. With such a small sampling size - you can't give much credence to the results.
I can't comment on all of or the lack of research - my own anecdotal evidence is that after beginning BF running, all my pain disappeared over a period of 3 months. What I did suffer from was sore calves (duly forewarned in the book by trying too much too soon) and pains in the front bottom of the foot - which went away after a while. The latter duly explained by Skye Mangram in her video - I had not been barefoot for years and years - and so the metatarsals had fused together - and the barefoot walking/running broke that up. Bottom line - I run for the health benefits and the FUN of it - and barefoot running has enabled me to keep running at a time when I was ready to give up. I won't ever win a race - but then again I don't give a rat's a$$ about coming first in a race. Winning a race for me is finishing it strong and with a smile on my face, no matter what my numerical position might be!
 
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#11
Of course, the vast majority of people are unlikely to ever win, in shoes or barefoot. Me included.

What I really love is that they had to put weights on the guys feet to skew things in favour of running in shoes. I guess they did that because they were quite disappointed that "Interestingly, the energy cost of running with and with- out shoes was roughly the same". I guess when they come up with shoes that weigh 0 grams, they will have a valid point.
 
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#13
One of the things I like about this forum, & the BF community in general, is that it's not race focussed. I don't enter competitions, so I'm never going to fit in in the places where people see racing as the entire purpose of running. If the attitude of running/exercising for enjoyment was more prevalent maybe there'd be more healthy people in the world?

Find it interesting that he mainly seems to be arguing for racing flats - don't they tend toward minimalist & have very little cushioning?
 
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#17
Pretty obvious why those barefoot runners didn't win...they were running on a treadmill. Duh.

But seriously, my motivation to adopt bf running has little-to-nothing to do with speed and/or "winning." The original barefooters were in the game for the long haul, remember? Running down that antelope until it tired out before them. Winning was the reward of dinner for the pack. The antelope was faster, but in the long run, ended up on the menu and not on the winner's podium.
 
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#18
I don't get all the hostility toward bf running. I was standing at the start line of a 5k race last Sunday and a heavy (fat) guy like me asked if my VFFs helped with shine splints. Of course I broke out my sermon a shared the good word with him. He was convinced. As soon as I stopped taking a little skinny man behind me began under mining very word I said, in a negative way. The irony is I returned to the finish line before both of them.

I don't run minimal to be fast. I run that way cause at 240lb everything hurts when in shoes. I don't cares who comes out with what study. I'm done with padded shoes, I did my own research.
 
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#20
BFwillie_g said:
And this guy doesn't know Patrick Sweeney :)
Click to expand...

That is so true, and I won my age group catagory once and I was barefoot (it might of helped I was the only one in my age group, but lets not be picky ;))
 
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