Some questions for the barefoot running community

by admin on June 18, 2010

Here are some rhetorical questions for the barefoot running community in general to consider:

Why do you try to dismiss what I write about because there are advertisements on this site for running shoes? Are you also dismissing what is written on barefoot running websites because they have advertisements for barefoot running shoes, barefoot running books and barefoot running workshops? You can’t have it both ways.

Why do you dismiss what podiatrists say about barefoot running as they have a vested interest in treating injuries? Are you also going to dismiss the research by Liebermann et al in Nature because he has a vested interest considering he is a barefoot runner and a barefoot running shoe product sponsored his research? Are you going to dismiss everything Chris McDougal says as he has a vested interest in selling a book and getting speaking fees? You can’t have it both ways.

Why do you try and dismiss the apparent epidemic of stress fractures in those using the Vibram Five Fingers as being due to training errors? Why can’t the injuries that runners get in running shoes be due to training errors as well? You can’t have it both ways.

Why are you critical of me for not having comments turned on at this site, when my comments never get approved for publication when I attempt to comment on barefoot running sites? You can’t have it both ways.

Why did you claim that running shoes cause osteoarthritis based on a study that was not even about osteoarthritis? Why did these two barefoot running sites lie about the Kerrigan et al research?

Can you tell me which injuries are actually caused by the high impacts that you claim running shoes are responsible for? Which injury actually has high impact as a risk factor?

Can you show me the research that shows there is an increased epidemic of injuries in runners as you keep claiming there is?

Do you really believe that driving a car barefoot can save gas?

Where is the evidence that running shoes cause any injuries? Why do you ignore the evidence that they might be helpful? You can’t have it both ways. There is less research for the benefits of barefoot running than there are for the benefits of running shoes!

Where is the evidence that running shoes weaken muscles? Foot orthotics have been shown to strengthen muscles, not weaken them, so why would running shoes weaken muscles? You can’t have that one both ways either.

Why do you claim the lack of evidence for the benefits of running shoes as proof that running barefoot is better? It is an illogical 2+2=5 type conclusion.

Why do no elite runners run barefoot? (Try and answer this one without insulting their intelligence)

Why do you claim the achievements of Abebe Bikala in winning an Olympic marathon running barefoot, but not mention that he could run faster and break a world record wearing running shoes?

Why do you claim the achievements of Zola Budd for competing in the Olympic 1500m barefoot, but not mention that she had to resort to wearing running shoes to prevent the injuries that she was getting?

How about explaining why I can’t make up headlines like Barefoot Runners Get More Stress Fractures?

Why did you claim that the Liebermann et al study in Nature supported barefoot running and showed barefoot running was better and showed there are less injuries in barefoot runners? The study showed none of that. Liebermann himself had to publish a disclaimer on his website to distance himself from what was being claimed from the research. You can’t have it both ways.

These are the issues. Why do you always attack the messenger and not the message? Why do you always take pot shots at those critiquing barefoot running and never address the actual issues that they raise? Why are you so irrational? Is it because you can not actually address the issues being raised, so have to resort to these attacks? Stick to the issues.


Why I have comments turned off

by admin on June 1, 2010

I have the comments turned off on this blog for a number of reasons. Mainly because I have no desire or energy to engage in discussion with the barefoot running community. They have already proved how irrational and nonsensical they are in previous discussions; how they totally misrepresent and misquote research; and how they are totally incapable of addressing the actual issues that get raised. Instead they resort to attacking the messenger and not the message. I have lots of emails attacking me and not one of these emails actually addressed the issues I raised. All the emails do is keep on proving me right. Trying to rationally discuss the actual issues is no different to discussing religion. You cannot get anywhere with them and they do everything they can to avoid the issue.

All my attempts to engage in discussion in the past have been dismal failures as they are not capable of sticking to the issues, which is why I choose to remain anonymous. I will blog soon with some of the emails I get, so you can see exactly how they can not address the issues (I even had one email me today accusing me of being an evolution denier and to get over myself, etc etc! Where have I even said anything about evolution? – notice how they accuse me of that and try to abuse me, but are totally incapable of addressing any issues I raise? It’s the old tactic, that if you can’t debate the point, abuse the messenger. What if I am an evolution denier or not, what has that got to do with the issues I raise. Rather than accuse me of something and take ‘pot shots’ at me, why not actually address the issues? I have a lot more emails that I will quote later).

I have also in the past posted many comments on blogs about barefoot running pointing out things like, for example:  “You do realise that there is not one study that has shown running shoes cause injury?“; “you say that the heel impact is the cause of running injuries – can you actually tell us what injury you are actually talking about as research has not linked one single injury to high heel impacts“;  “You claim that the injury rate in runners has been going up recently, what evidence do you have for that? The published evidence is that this is not the case“; “The Kerrigan study was not even on osteoarthritis, so you cannot claim the osteoarthritis is caused by running shoes based on that study” and also we know that runners get no more osteoarthritis than the general population; “Lieberman in Nature did not show that barefoot running caused less injuries, so you cannot make that claim based on his research (even Lieberman had to post that on his website to stop people interpreting his research that way)”; etc. Guess what? NONE of them got approved for publication. Why is that? Why are they afraid of the truth? Is it because it does not fit with their agenda?

I do appreciate the occasional email I do get from a barefoot runner who are embarrassed at claims made by other barefoot runners (such as the two barefoot sites that lied about the Kerrigan research) as it makes them all look bad. I had one yesterday that wanted to distance themselves what they called the ‘Church of Barefoot Running’ and the nonsensical claims they make. They did make one criticism of what I write, that I will accept – that I am labelling the entire barefoot running community based on the public comments of a select few barefoot runners. They are probably right. But, perhaps they need to take this up with those in the barefoot community who make the nonsensical and irrational claims, as the public can only judge barefoot running based on the public comments made by those in that community.

I do get a number of emails demanding I turn on comments. Why should I allow barefoot runners who are not capable of sticking to the issues raised, make nonsense claims, and take ‘pot shots‘ comment here when my comments on barefoot running blogs do not get approved. You can’t have it both ways.


“All the proof you need”

May 20, 2010

I got an interesting email from someone who I assume is a barefoot runner. The email simply said “this is all the proof you need” and it included a link to this.
This link is a reproduction of the press release from the Kerrigan et al study, which I described as:
This will have to go down [...]

Read the full article →

Stress Fractures in the Vibram FiveFinger’s ‘Barefoot’ Shoe

May 6, 2010

I was being somewhat facetious in my 2+2=5 logic to show that barefoot runners get more stress fractures. As the barefoot running community tend to apply that logic to so much they claim, my point was why can’t I? Now we have more and more reports surfacing of metatarsal stress fractures occurring in the Vibram Five [...]

Read the full article →

The Advertising on this Site

May 2, 2010

This is a good one. I get a lot of emails (hate mail) and they all have one thing in common: They all prove what I am saying is right! None of them actually address the issues I raise and just take pot shots at me and do things such as attack my anonymity and [...]

Read the full article →

Do running shoes cause osteoarthritis?

April 24, 2010

Do running shoes cause osteoarthritis? According to a lot of barefoot running websites and blogs they do. Where do that get that information from? They either seem to have made the claim up or based it on the press release that accompanied the Kerrigan et al study. Which is just another case of intellectual dishonesty [...]

Read the full article →

Barefoot and saving gas!

April 13, 2010

This is too good an opportunity to pass up. If anyone ever wanted evidence as to just how nutty these people really are. Just check out this post on how its claimed that by driving the car barefoot you can save gas. And they expect to be taken seriously. This kind of nonsense only makes [...]

Read the full article →

Plantar fasciitis and barefoot running

April 10, 2010

What is the relationship between barefoot running and plantar fasciitis?
In the research by Liebermann et al published in Nature, in the discussion they made the somewhat remarkable claim that:
“Furthermore, many running shoes have arch supports and stiffened soles that may lead to weaker foot muscles, reducing arch strength. This weakness contributes to excessive pronation and [...]

Read the full article →

Why I Chose to Remain Anonymous

April 1, 2010

I have chosen to remain anonymous for one main and one minor reason.
The main reason is that I wanted to make this site about the issues and not the person. I wanted to expose barefoot runners for the claims they make and not who they are. One thing you learn really quickly about the barefoot [...]

Read the full article →

“Barefoot Runners Get More Stress fractures”

March 18, 2010

Well they don’t really, but why can I not make up that headline like that as the barefoot running community do it all the time (see Intellectual Dishonesty). Surely if they do it, why can’t the rest of us do it? Mainly because we are not that irresponsible and dishonest.
But, here is my logic behind [...]

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries