Here is one man's barefoot sprinting program.  It is awesome he gets to enjoy doing this on a tropical beach. 

I wanted to let everyone know of a really cool race in Northern Arizona.  It takes place on the Hopi reservation. The Paatuwaqatsi Run is a special public event open to anyone who is interested in running for the cause of water and life. The run will take place in the heart of Hopi country and will pass through the ancient village of Walpi. The Paatuwaqatsi Run was founded by the well-known and accomplished Hopi runner, Bucky Preston, who has literally run thousands of miles in the quest to preserve and protect his people's water.  I have ran in this race twice and a lot of barefoot and minimalist enthusiast run in it every year.  http://www.waterisliferun.org/

You really have to have tough feet to run barefoot in the desert.  Props to this guy for surviving the death valley heat. 

When running barefoot or in minimalist shoes you need to ease into it. People are arguing that you are more prone to injury running in a more modern raised heal running shoe and other people are saying you are more prone to injury running barefoot or in a minimalist shoe.  BYU did a study on people transitioning into minimalist shoes.  It is unclear how exactly the study was done.  I have a feeling that the people in the study tried to cross over to wearing a minimalist shoe and tried to maintain their normal miles.  Which in that case they would have issues because their calf muscles, achilles tendon, and other muscles ligaments and tendons in the foot and ankle aren't going to be ready to make the immediate jump.  Watch the video below and see what you think.  Also click here for more information on how to prevent barefoot running injuries. 

It is tempting to come up with your own version of minimalist shoes but sometimes you are better off leaving the design aspect to the professionals!  

• Lems Shoes
• Feelmax
• Vibram FiveFingers
• Sanuk
• Soft Star Moccasins
• Newton Running Shoes

I caught wind of this new Patagonia Minimalist moccasin at the Outdoor Retailer Expo.  It's expected to come out in Spring 2010.  This is the only photo available that I've found.  Patagonia markets it as a packable moccasin that can be worn around the camp area. 

John Stewart interviews Christopher McDougall, author of "Born to Run"

Contribution to the Barefoot Running Movement
Having McDougall on the Daily Show was a breakthrough for the barefoot running community.  McDougall's book "Born to Run" tells about his findings of the Tarahumara tribe that run hundreds of miles a week BAREFOOT!  The Tarahumaras are people of the remote mountainous terrain of Mexico.  They are known to run day long, hundred mile runs through the mountains for FUN!  Upon meeting with a few of these unbelievable runners, McDougall discovers that as human beings we are "born to run."  He claims that he found the answer to the question that every athlete asks: injuries?  The human body is more incredible than he ever expected.  He found that our body's are built for running and that all we need to do is not put limits on it.  We need to be more natural with everything we do from the food we eat, to the shoes we put on our feet.

There is a need out there for a new shoe.  I've searched far and wide for the perfect minimalist shoe but still have yet to find it.  A handful of the minimalist shoes have met most of my criteria: thin-sole, lightweight & breathable, however none of them have a wide enough toe-box.  This rule almost always applies: the more minimal the shoe, the more snug fitting and tight toe.  Width is my number one issue with shoes and my feet aren't even that wide.  Where I'm going with is that we need to start a new brand.  The need is there, we just got to make a product .

I know there are others out there with this same dilemma.  If so, please comment or email me: [email protected]

Pros:                          Cons:
   - thin & flexible sole        - $100+
   - durable sole                - hard to find
   - fairly lightweight          - poor breathability
                                     - heavily padded upper

Pros:   - ultra thin sole
          - lightweight
Cons:  - narrow fit
          - hard to find