BBC Podcast looking back at the start of the barefoot running revolution

Back in 2009, the book Born to Run was published and it sparked a whole craze about barefoot and minimalist running. The origins of that book can be traced back to 2006 when an ultra distance race took place in Copper Canyon in a remote part of Mexico. The race between America's best ultramarathon runner Scott Jurek and a tribe of Tarahumara indians inspired a revolution in the sport.

Recently the radio programme Sporting Witness on the BBC World Service looked back at that event. The 9 minute podcast can be heard HERE

Ultra runner Caballo Blanco found dead in New Mexico wilderness...

Micah True, better known by his nickname, "Caballo Blanco", whose extreme-distance running was detailed in book Born to Run, set out on jog on last Tuesday in New Mexico but never returned. True, 58, whose extreme-distance running prowess is detailed in the book Born to Run, set out on what – for him – would have been a routine 12-mile run on Tuesday from The Wilderness Lodge and Hot Springs, where he was staying. He left his dog at the lodge and never returned. A search began the day after.
The body was discovered at about 6pm in a remote, rugged area of the Gila Wilderness, the New Mexico state police said. The cause of death was still unknown, but there were no obvious signs of trauma, incident commander Tom Bemis told the Boulder Daily Camera.

Michael Sandrock, a columnist who writes about running for the Daily Camera, knew True for at least 20 years and had run with him. He called True a pioneer of the sport of ultrarunning, which involves running extreme distances, often on gruelling terrain and many miles longer than the 26-mile (40km) marathon. He described True as a "legend" among ultra runners.

True was the race director of the Copper Canyon Ultra Marathon, a 50-plus mile race in Urique, Mexico, last month. He was featured in articles in running magazines and was a central character – known by his nickname, "Caballo Blanco" – in Christopher McDougall's non-fiction bestseller "Born to Run." McDougall said he based his book on the first Copper Canyon marathon that True organised. "It's heartbreaking because there was this unique, wonderful running party he put on in the middle of nowhere, and no one else could make this happen," he said.

Here is a talk given by Caballo Blanco back in 2010 about the now famous Copper Canyon race with the Tarahumara Indians in Mexico...
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Another video clip about barefoot running...

Last week, I put up a post about barefoot running. In the meantime, I came across another clip.

This one is about an 8 mile race / fun run in New York city. Also included in it is the author of the 'Born to Run' book which is about the Tarahumara Indians in Mexico who run long distances barefoot........covered in a previous post HERE.

'Why expensive trainers could be worse than useless'...

Over the last few months, several people have commented to me that they had been reading a book called Born to Run about the Tarahumara Indians in Mexico. They live in a remote part of the country and are famous for running huge distances, often barefoot or with very basic shoes.

Just a few days ago, an interesting article appeared in the online version of the Daily Telegraph debating the pros and cons of barefoot running and also mentioned that book. The writer contends that "those expensive running shoes you've been relying on may be worse than useless: they could be causing the very injuries they're supposed to prevent ". The basic argument is that most people with modern shoes tend to land on their heel and 'pound the road' whereas people running barefoot adopt a different style of running to protect the feet which results in a softer landing...i.e. no pounding.

The article goes on to say..... "When the Tarahumara aren't barefoot, they wear nothing more cushioned than thin, hard sandals fashioned from discarded tire treads and leather thongs. In place of artificial shock absorption, they rely on an ancient running technique that creates a naturally gentle landing. Unlike the vast majority of modern runners, who come down heavily on their foam-covered heels and roll forward off their toes, the Tarahumara land lightly on their forefeet and bend their knees, as you would if you jumped from a chair. "

Also......."Out here in the non-Tarahumara world, where we have access to the best in sports medicine, training innovations and footwear, up to 90 per cent of all marathoners are injured every year. The Tarahumara, by contrast, remain spry and healthy deep into old age. "

Needless to say, there is an opposing opinion as well. The full article which is a bit long can be found at this LINK.