You’re used to coming to our website for the facts.

But whether or not barefoot running is good for you is hotly contested topic and running preferences is a much more subjective matter.

Welcome to the first debate where we give you the facts, but you give us the answers.

Is barefoot running better for you?
It’s no coincidence that the vast majority of people run with shoes on; shoes are both practical and safe.

They stop your feel getting dirty or uncomfortable and guard against the cuts and bruises your feet might receive as they pound various paths, roads, beaches and trails.

However, by consistently wearing shoes, we deny ourselves the proper chance to develop the muscles in our feet and legs that would otherwise develop in order to soften our stride.

There are arguments for both sides of the debate.

Arguments for running with shoes
Advancements in technology have enabled us to come up with shoes that better suit different types of feet.

Extra cushioning helps soften the impact of some of the harder surfaces such as roads and footpaths.

Shoes will also help you avoid dangers such as stepping on glass or other sharp objects.

Arguments for running barefoot
By running barefoot you will strengthen the muscles of the feet and legs.

Your body will learn how to run in a more efficient way, reducing the amount of shock created from each footfall.

Calluses will develop that will allow you to run or harder surfaces.

You will save money on shoes.

To digress
Before shoes were worn or invented humans were able to live comfortably without shoes.

With the proper training, our feet could also develop the proper calluses to run comfortably barefoot.

With modern lifestyles, although most runners’ foot muscles are under-developed, by putting shoes on we partially eliminate the need to ever develop the foot muscles in the first place.

The real debate seems to be whether or not our joints and bones will absorb less shock by wearing shoes (due to the cushioning effects that shoes provide) or by running barefoot (due to training adaptions the feet and the legs would make in response to a barefoot running routine).

Certainly more conventional thinking would point towards wearing shoes. The harder surfaces of today (roads and footpaths) would make it tougher on the feet to run barefoot today than it would have been centuries ago.

But at what point do advancements in out footwear start to detrain our feet and will that ultimately be to our disadvantage?

Interesting perspectives
The three websites below both discuss the barefoot debate, with some discussion from opposing sides.

Barefoot Ken Bob (in support of barefoot running).

Ross Tucker's blog (Offers, at length, a detailed analysis of the debate).

Brooks running(in support of running with shoes).

Feel free to leave your thoughts and comments below along with your first name. We’d love to hear them and share them in this discussion.