Barefoot Running: Is Less More?

Two years ago, Anthony Pierre was relegated to running only a few miles a day after his injuries were becoming a constant hindrance.
“IT band, Achilles tendinitis, plantar fasciitis were all my enemies. I had pretty much quit running until I read Born to Run. I picked up the book and took off my shoes," the Carleton College applications support specialist said. "A couple of weeks later, my injuries were evaporating. It was like a religious experience to be able to run pain-free.”
Welcome to a different—sort of—way of running.
If you spot what looks like gorilla tracks in the Carleton Arboretum, or spot folks who at first seem to be walking on their hands, don’t be alarmed. These are just the Northfield imprint of a craze that’s sweeping the nation: barefoot—or nearly barefoot—running.
Those shoes that make you look like Bigfoot with his dogs painted black are Vibram FiveFingers—just one of many “minimalist” shoes flooding the market.
They hope to capitalize on the movement toward a more natural style of running that many experts say can minimize injuries while restoring the joys of running more like a child on the beach and less like a machine prone to frequent break-downs.