Barefoot Running

Back in 2006, I read an article in Mens' Health about the Tarahumara Indian tribe from Mexico's Copper Canyon. The article talked a lot about barefoot running- a new concept to me. Later in 2009, I discovered that the same author, Christopher McDougall, had written a book called Born to Run which chronicles his adventure to Mexico to meet the tribe for a long distance race.

The People: The Tarahumara Indian tribe is centered around a long distance running game. Basically, they run very far, sometimes 435 miles in one game, kicking or tossing a ball back and forth. It's like soccer or lacrosse, if the entire playing field was the northern Mexico copper canyons. They are a very reclusive group of people so they have rarely been in traditional long distance races, but it is thought that they are the best endurance athletes in the world. And they run in sandals, called Huarache. This isn't something they do for part of their life, but all of their life. They live well into their 100's and run actively until they are in their 60's.

The Concept: The sandals aren't the whole concept, just the gear. The idea is to become a toe/ball striker instead of a heel striker. You want to land on the front of the foot to keep up the momentum. Plus, the shock will be absorbed by your muscles instead of you knees. You can check out an article here with all the details. This means less force and stress on your body and less energy so you can run longer. Additionally, it helps to strengthen your foot to keep it healthy and happy for a long running life.

What the believers are saying:
Well, there is a lab at Harvard studying the biomechanics of barefoot running. Their website is here: http://www.barefootrunning.fas.harvard.edu/index.html.

I urge you to check out their biomechanics and videos page which shows the differences in form of the heel strike and barefoot running technniques.

Here are some samples:

Join me next time when I discuss the other side of the coin - Supported Running (a.k.a wearing shoes)