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Christopher McDougall is a well-spoken, humble man who has through the popularity of his book brought about some of the biggest changes in the perception of feet and running in recent years.  Join us in learning about how this talented author wrote his book, discovered his feet, and how he feels about barefooting and running.  This interview should not be missed.

We Talk about:

- Chris’s recent appearance at the TED Conference

- Thoughts on Interviews In General

- His first exposure to barefoot running

- How he came to find the Tarahumara while on assignment for the New York Times.

- He thoughts on his influence over barefoot running and ultra running

- How he struggled with writing Born to Run

- This thoughts on minimalist shoes

- And much more!

To learn more about Christopher McDougall visit his website: http://chrismcdougall.com

1. As far as I can see all it’s saying is people who support going bare foot are stupid. Yeah, this really impresses me. *sigh* And here I was hoping to find somewhere that gave real evidence on benefits of being shod.

   Posted by Rose | March 29, 2010, 16:51

2. this person doesn’t let people comment on his site. I really bet it is funded by the shoe industry.

   Posted by Anthony Pierre | March 29, 2010, 17:49

3. Not only does he not allow people to comment, but (and I could be mistaken) I couldn’t find a way to contact the author anywhere on the site. I read a few of his articles and I was more than a little disturbed by the paranoid tone of the bile that was being spewed. He accuses the barefoot community of nothing short of conspiracy citing an “agenda” and a “lobby.” I must say that I’m disappointed that the barefoot running discussion has come to this. On some sites I have found that our efforts to inform our shod counterparts of the virtues of barefoot running have led to condescending attitudes and bitter arguments. These instances have no doubt lead to the creation of this site as either a backlash against the barefoot community or as a viral dissent from the shoe companies. I wish that the debate could be more of a conversation and less of an argument. Running is supposed to be fun, and although I run mostly minimal or barefoot I still identify with runners of all styles. Why can’t we be friends?

   Posted by Jesse Lindsey | March 31, 2010, 09:50

4. I came across this site the other day. The writer seems like a very angry, tensed-up person…jeeze… perhaps he should do some yoga?

   I don’t feel like attacking anybody who wants to wear shoes. Yes; my feet and knees do feel surprisingly better in my Vivo Barefoot shoes than they do trainers, but I am not like some insufferable religious convert who has just seen the light and who is now trying to shove everyone elses’ noses in the Bible and declaring they will “go to Hell” if they don’t believe. Whatever you believe, shod or unshod, this kind of attitude stinks! Someone’s lifestyle is their own business, and everyone should respect each other.

   I have decided to give it a try because I have flat feet, just like my father has. No amount of arch supports and special sole inserts have ever done him any good. He has heel pain, and for several months last year he could barely walk because of it. He also has back pain and like me has always had a weak back, to the point that a couple of vertebrae in his lower back are actually disentigrating. I think there may even be a correlation between bad backs and flat feet.

   And his bad experience made me think – what if I could avoid this heel pain and bad back? After all it doesn’t cost anything to try barefoot walking and running out does it? No one is trying to sell me anything – it’s FREE.

   So I say – don’t scoff until you give it a go. If you are a shoed runner who twists your ankle or hurt your knees a lot, or if you have a bad back, or flat feet with arch support – all problems which apply to me – then read all the advice, take it gently and give barefoot a go for 6 months. If you’re still plagued with the same problems by then, then just stick with shoes and argue your case against, because it didn’t work for you. Simple.

   The only really annoying thing about barefoot shoes is their cost. I can buy a smart pair of trainers for £30, but had to pay £60+ for my black Vivo Barefoots. And the cost of the Vibrams are horrifying! You’d think less material=less cost?

   Big advantage of the Vivo Lucys though is I can wear them round the office at work and look smart, AND go for runs in them too. So I get two kinds of shoes in one, which I guess makes the cost more reasonable.

   Posted by Kris | April 1, 2010, 06:58

5. Thanks for your comments. I agree with your point of view. Everyone needs to find the things in life that make sense to them. We are all unique so there are most often many correct solutions.

   Re the price of shoes, I find it interesting how prices vary so greatly from county to country. Vibram FiveFingera for example can be purchased for as low as $75 but go all the way up to $250 in other markets. Distributions costs make a big difference.

   Posted by Al Gauthier | April 1, 2010, 08:45

6. Jesse here is an address on the site. It’s in the “about” link. It says something like send hate mail to:
   [email protected]

   Posted by Lynn | April 6, 2010, 08:54

7. I think what this guy is tryin to point out is that the “Barefoot ” community (probably those very pasionate ones with somthing to gain) twists what it hears or quotes numorous BAD studies to suport its claims. This dosnt help promote the barfoot running concept, but makes it look desperate.

   Posted by nick | April 6, 2010, 23:31

8. The site has as part of its title; “Exposing barefootters for the nutters that they are”. This is a sign that the entire site is slanted and should be discounted entirely.

   Making the claim that people who don’t want to wear shoes all the time are “nutters” is a disinformation tactic. I don’t recall the exact name of the tactic but I do remember reading about it. The tactic is designed to stop the debate before it has begun by declaring that anyone on the opposing viewpoint is not credible.

   Also, the site has a link of a place to buy the most current expensive running shoes.

   Posted by John | May 10, 2010, 12:32

9. I think it’s pretty safe to say that most decent people disregard any publication that is 100% negative. It doesn’t take long to realize that the website is not out to find the truth or even scientific information but rather to put down other people. Even the name of the website is negative.

   Posted by Terral | May 14, 2010, 15:55

10. The complete anonymity of the site author seriously undermines his stance. After reading 2-3 sentences of his argument I went in search of his credentials. One would expect it to be under the About section, but it only yielded more of the same.

    All is not lost, though. His repeated exclamation of “there is no science in favor of barefoot running” is humorous considering one of his posts links to an article citing an work from a peer-reviewed scientific journal. Perhaps he’s formed a new type of comedic writing? Maybe yes? Most likely no. Just a nutter like the ones he rallies against.

    It’s a shame his site has such a high Google search result :-/

    Posted by Russell | September 9, 2010, 11:27

11. This guy runs a load a websites about podiatry and footwear, full of ads: http://runningbarefootisbad.wordpress.com

    Posted by John | September 19, 2010, 19:14