Barefoot In The Park?

27 JAN2011

Barefoot or minimalist running is the subject of lots of discussion at the present time. Westerners have always eyed fleet-footed Kenyans and Ethiopians and wondered how do they do that? And the publication of Christopher McDougall's colourful book 'Born To Run' has added to the speculation that the modern day running shoe may not be the optimal product.

Now Accelerate, the specialist running store in Sheffield, is organising an event at the Showroom on Friday, February 11 to put the spotlight on minimalist running. The evening is aimed at runners who would like to know more about the current thinking and will include the development of shoes to meet the growing demand for more natural-running product, and how to integrate minimalist running into daily life and training.

Guest speakers at the running expert evening, part of the Sheffield Adventure Film Festival, will include leading biomechanist Colin Papworth, Saucony's Paul Heywood and key speaker Matt Brown, part of the design team at Inov-8. The pros and cons of barefoot and minimalist running will be explored along with why the manufactures have taken the plunge. How much of recent development is research based or just hype and following the herd?

The speakers will illuminate different aspects of 'natural running' and the development of footwear. Organiser Stuart Hale at Acclerate says that the speakers will be light, entertaining and informative time, and he hopes their contribution will lead to greater interest in the development of natural/minimalist running, both training and product.

Time has been allotted at the end of the evening for a question and answer session along with an opportunity for people to discuss - on a one to one/small group basis - particular products and forthcoming product introductions. It is planned that a 'Product Table' will be made available at the end for the audience to 'see for themselves' although there is no 'sales' element to the evening.

Stuat Hale told northernrunningguide.com: "Some recent studies have shown that over engineered running shoes cause more problems than they solve. Other evidence is anecdotal from those that have tried high tech footwear and then gone back to basics, including running barefoot. It would appear there may be some weight to the arguments as leading brands of specialised running shoes are beginning to look at their ranges and introduce shoes that offer less structure and more minimalism. Simply, less is more.

"For one British manufacturer this is nothing new. Inov8, based near Durham has for many years been advocating the virtues of 'natural running' for the fell athlete. In fact you could argue this has always been the case, since the beginning of early fell-shoe manufacture. Original fell shoes offered foot protection from the ground, grip and if you were lucky a little comfort! Inov8 has revolutionised fell running shoes, winning many design awards along the way. So the next step in the evolution for Inov8 is a more natural shoe for road runners. Minimalist shoes, as they are now, in general, been called, are on their way.

"In fact for leading specialist Saucony, they are already here. Your average running shoes normally weigh in at a good 350 grams, whilst the new minimalist offering from Saucony (the Kinvara) is a mere 220 grams with plans to drop yet more weight. So can this type of shoe, which in the past so many have said should be left to the elite be of benefit to the ordinary runner?

"Simply these shoes are all designed to allow the body to be more natural whilst running, to become stronger and, if the research and claims of the pundits, is correct to ultimately reduce injury. Yet since when has running on three foot of tarmac, rubble and crushed stone been, well, 'natural'? Surely we need technical running shoes to help us survive the impact and resulting stresses? If we are running off-road, what about all those sharp rocks and the damage we will cause to ourselves hurtling down a hillside? So how is a minimalist shoe different and is there benefit? Get along to the Showroom in Sheffield on Friday, February 11 to find out more."

Visit the Accelerate Facebook page to find out more information about start time, speakers and how to book a place.