Runner, Running Free--From Marketing

The Star Tribune reports that this autumn will mark Dean Laiti's 27th Twin Cities Marathon, nearly all done without shoes… it was nearly 30 years ago when Laiti left his shoes behind for a run. "I do it because I can," said the 115-pound runner. "It psyches people out." Dr. Paul Langer, who works at Minnesota Orthopaedic Specialists and is a clinical faculty member at the University of Minnesota Medical School, said misinformation in the 1980s started the myth that cushioning in shoes is always better. "It became more about marketing and less about biomechanics," he said. But sneaker culture has already responded to the reports. Nike's Free line, for example, tries to mimic the manner of a bare sole striking earth, eliminating arch support and reducing heel padding to provide a pliable sole that lets the foot flex. On the extreme end, Vibram released its FiveFingers "foot glove" in 2006 with articulated toes and a thin sole...Yet Laiti and runners like him continue to run barefoot.