This is why we push "Ditch the shoes completely, go slow, give up speed, and learn how to run barefoot the right way." LOOK: Campbell Runner Evan Darm Finishes Last 2.5 Miles of Race Barefoot, Sustains Horrible ... LostLettermen.com “With roughly two miles to go, I continued to race on the hot track barefoot. I ended up falling back and placing seventh but not without some extreme ...
If the track was really hot as he says no wonder what happened. Plantar skin starts cooking at a certain temperature no matter how good your running form is
There is a time and place for shoes. If the surface you're walking/running on is hot enough to give you 3rd degree burns taking the several seconds to put your shoe back on is probably the wisest course of action.
I was thinking the same thing. This person obviously doesn't know how/have the proper experience to run barefoot on any surface, so they should have taken a moment to put the shoes on anyway. The 7th place finish is definitely not worth the recovery in my opinion. Bottom line, they shouldn't have been running barefoot in those conditions at that speed...without first gaining experience to do so, even then the surface "might" have burned their soles, but the damage would not have been to the degree it is.
I've tried the one shoe off bit. Not good, switching from barefoot landing style to shod style every step is not fun. I check road/track temperature with an infrared thermometer if in doubt. 115 deg. is my maximum.
StupidStupidStupid. I don't doubt that we will see his experience cited as another reason to NEVER RUN BAREFOOT.
I'm new to this and I know that was incredibly dumb. To take one of his statements slightly out of context "...I hope I inspired others...". Yes he did; keep both of your shoes on when running on a hot track. You're giving barefoot running a bad name!
This could be one of the reasons triathlons enforce the use of shoes on the run section. By the time you start running, the road could be too hot for most people to handle, especially since most people do their running in the morning or evening.
That's just ######up! You think one would have enough brains to stop! I carry my VFF EL-X's tucked into my shorts on the small of my back if I think it'll be too hot. Or I choose trail running instead. Got to think about my 4 legged running partner too!!
Agreed! No reason to purposely endure injury. Was there a ton of money on the line or something? Is it even worth 50 grand to possibly cause permanent damage to ones foot? Just stupid, heck if he was quick putting the shoe on he might have been able to beat 7th place anyhow. With 2 miles to go I'm sure running 1 foot barefoot was more of a penalty than 10 seconds to put your shoe back on (or do you get DQ's for crossing the line or something?).
More details. http://gocamels.com/sports/track/2014-15/releases/20150522ql3sga Seems like it was one of those during the competition, adrenaline pumping moments.
Wow, that is horrible, looks like he put his foot in a blender. That either shows complete dedication and determination or no feeling and stupidity. No race is worth destroying you feet like that. I have run on those synthetic tracks and they are quite abrasive, if you are running at speed and the surface is hot your skin is not going to take it especially if you are running with an odd form due to having one shoe on. I just wonder what the nerves in his feet were telling him. Neil
It is not the heat, it's the stickiness of the track combined with the fast pace which makes it like sandpaper. I usually use spikes for speedwork but occasionally run a few repeats barefoot and always lose a bit of blood and skin. At road race paces there is far less friction, unless you're an elite I guess, but even then your lower body weight compensates. Small people like Zola Budd could get away with 65 second laps on the track without injury.
