A Brief History of Barefoot Running

AbebeBikila.jpg
A Brief History of Barefoot Running
Minimalist shoes and barefoot running has been a strategy of champions for decades
Rome, Sept. 10, 1960: Starting line of the Olympic Marathon -- The three New Zealanders, Jeff Julian, Barry Magee and Ray Puckett, nervously await the starting gun. Standing next to them they notice an unknown African runner with a skeletal figure and no shoes. "Oh, well, that's one we can beat, anyway," Puckett says.

The African was Abebe Bikila of Ethiopia. His bare feet skimmed over the hot streets of Rome that night to give him the Olympic gold medal in a world-record 2:15:16.2. Magee was third. "It was amazing that Bikila was standing right next to us on the line," Magee told me late last year. Puckett's ill-fated remark has become urban legend. David Maraniss's book Rome 1960 wrongly attributes it to a member of the American team. To continue reading, please visit: http://www.runnersworld.com/barefoot-running/a-brief-history-of-barefoot-running#
 
Quotes I will ponder from the article:

"Runners who think about their craft have always been willing to go minimal, as well as learn from people who live close to nature."​
"You have to pick your surface and your day for racing barefoot."​
"...barefoot over 50 degrees, socks if 40 to 50, boat shoes if under 40.' Those were the webby rafting shoes, a bit like the Nike Sock Racer."​
(personal note: I recently attempted a bf run at 22f / -5.5c. I made it 100 yards before putting on my aquasocks).
"The current craze for minimalist footwear has overlooked the other side of the equation, the benefits of training in heavy shoes....(Zapotak) believed in the contrast between heavier shoes for training and ultralight shoes or barefoot for racing."​
"Bare feet, minimalist shoes, and heavyweight trainers can all bring problems. The key, if you are considering change, is that in nature all adaptation is slow. Read real experts, and don't rush. Bandwagons are only good for bands."​
(another personal note: I read books like Ken Bob's Step by Step book and subscribe to LearnToRun on YouTube which is Romanov's updated Pose Running course).