Daniel Lieberman, PhD, a professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard University, studies and periodically practices barefoot running. His academic work focuses in part on how early man survived by evolving the ability to lope for long distances after prey, well before the advent of Nike shoes. There “is good evidence that humans have been running long distances for millions of years,” he says, “and most of that was probably done barefoot.” For his own part, “I run a lot,” he says, “and at least once a week, I run about three to five miles on the streets of Cambridge, completely barefoot. I can attest to the fact that it’s a lot of fun.”
...But is there persuasive scientific proof for the claims about the benefits of barefoot running? Read the scant available scientific literature and talk to the researchers who know the field best and it’s clear that the answer, at least as of now, is ‘no.’ “On the one hand, no one has yet published a study on whether barefoot running is better for you — the evidence is all anecdotal,” Lieberman says. “On the other hand, no one has ever published a study showing that running shoes prevent injury.”
Other researchers are more blunt. “The whole campaign” of unshod running “has gained a kind of cult following, with the science chasing it from behind,” says Ross Tucker, PhD, a South African exercise physiologist and the author of the recently published book “Runner’s World: The Runner’s Body.” A “great deal of practical advice has been given out without a solid understanding of its implications,” he says.
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