Last week, a new article over on the Runner’s World website caught my eye. Authored by William Roberts, MD, it appeared in their Ask the Sports Doc section and was entitled The Mechanics of Barefoot Running. I’m always excited to see something on the topic of barefoot running appear over there, or in their print magazine, because it means that the subject is getting mainstream exposure. There have been pro-barefoot as well as no-barefoot articles that have appeared, and there is sometimes a good deal of work that goes into sifting the opinion from the real research (which is still largely waiting to be done) and conclusions, but I’m in favor of the discussion overall. The issue needs continued investigation and the results, pro and con, need consideration. But this article particularly struck me because it was, well, very reasonable!
Dr. Roberts, while in London to present at the London Marathon Medical Conference, took in a presentation by Daniel Lieberman, the author of the now famous Harvard study on the differences in foot strike between shod and unshod runners. Dr. Roberts got to thinking about his own history with running and how his own form has changed with the advent of more cushioned and motion-controlled footwear, and authored this wonderful little article that, with an open mind, considers the possibility that barefoot or minimalist running might indeed be a positive direction in which to head. He gives the usual precautions, and neatly considers the fact that shoes may not be useless, but overall seems to come out, as a doctor, quite pro-minimalist.
Not only did the article catch my attention, but also that of Christopher McDougall, author of Born to Run, and this week he’s come out with his own blog post in response to the Ask the Sports Doc piece, and has added several pieces of new (to me) information to the argument pro barefoot/minimalist.
In Dr. Runner’s World and Mr. Hyde, McDougall calls the Runner’s World piece “one of the most poised, knowledgeable and honest appraisals of barefoot running I’ve ever read,” and continues on to report on some interesting things said recently at the Runner’s World seminar on minimalist shoes at the Lehigh Valley Half-Marathon. Among them was this gem, from Amby Burfoot:
“Back in the ’60s, we ran way more and way faster in the thinnest little shoes, and we never got hurt. I never even remember talking about injuries back then. So you’ve got to wonder,” Amby mused, “what’s changed…”
For those that might not know (and if not, are you sure you’re in the right place?) 
, Amby is the 1968 winner of the Boston Marathon, and editor/writer/all-around-everything-guy at Runner’s World – in short, a pretty major voice in the running community. When he is questioning something, you tend to want to hear what answers he turns up.
But the truly astonishing news, as reported by McDougall, is this:
Warren Greene, RW’s shoe expert, made an astonishing offhand revelation when the producer [of HBO's “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel”] peppered him with questions about what, exactly, motion-control shoes do.
“Oh, those are being phased out,” Warren said.
Wait… what? One of the biggest segments of the entire running-shoe line, a corrective device that Runner’s World has recommended for years as necessary for many of its readers, is silently being pulled from the shelves?
[...]
“Yeah, the manufacturers are pulling away from them,” Warren shrugged.
Shoe companies are phasing out motion-control shoes? Now, we haven’t been presented with any actual evidence of this, only the word of Warren Greene (which I wouldn’t doubt, but I’d love to see evidence and/or hear his comments in context), but if this is true, this is a pretty major event. Why would they be phasing out motion-control shoes? If these shoes really are one of the biggest money makers for these companies, I find it hard to believe that they’d voluntarily give them up, even if there is evidence that they are useless (and I don’t know that there is)! For explanation, McDougall cites Benno Nigg:
First of all, it’s important to realise that modem running shoes, even the ones equipped with ‘anti-pronation’ features, actually cause pronation–they don’t control it,” says Benno Nigg, PhD, a renowned University of Calgary researcher and author of the book, The Biomechanics of Running Shoes. ‘A runner, male or female, who pronates about eight degrees while running barefoot will often pronate about 20 degrees while wearing ‘anti-pronation’ running shoes,’ says Nigg. In other words, trying to control pronation may only make it worse.
When one reads things like that, you always have to wonder what the hidden agenda might be. But in this case, McDougall informs us that Nigg is actually one of the people responsible for the designs of early motion-control shoes! With that tidbit of information, it certainly doesn’t seem like he’s a lifelong pro-minimal guy! Perhaps he’s an honest scientist who responds to research and the sometimes shifting understanding that new information can provide?
So there we have it, Runner’s World has a reasonable doctor writing for them, Amby Burfoot is questioning the value of modern running shoes, and Warren Greene tells us that shoe companies are starting to distance themselves from motion-control shoes. I haven’t been able to turn up anymore information on that last bit myself, but if you hear of any, certainly let us know in the comments! It seems almost too unbelievable, almost sensationalist, and I’d love to hear more from sources close to the comment.
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Many thanks to @skoraRunning on Twitter, via @RunningQuest, for providing the link to the McDougall article.
I had minor shin pain in my left shin after switching from a soft surface to a hard surface. I went to a running store and purchased motion control shoes since I am a moderate overpronator. Within 1.5 weeks I suddenly developed moderate pain in my right knee. I also had minor knee pain in my left knee. I did not increase my distance, speed or surface during that time-frame.
It’s funny that they corrected one minor problem while creating a more severe problem that was never an issue before I purchased these expensive, motion control shoes.
Honestly, I would have been better off using neutral shoes. My minor shin splint was the result of switching from a synthetic track to asphalt and concrete without properly transitioning.
I have read many articles about runners knee and I believe that is what I have. It happened without my knowledge. I finished a run and 3 hours later the pain crept up on me. Pain when walking down stairs and also when I applied light pressure below the kneecap. It only felt worse 2 days later when I attempted to jog again.
When my knee heals and I can run again, I will switch back to my myraid of neutral shoes. I will just be smarter about how I transition from the synthetic track to the road.