[JimDabell]

I’m a barefoot runner. Not a good runner, but middle of the pack. I ran >6km every day barefoot in February, and ran a half marathon on Sunday barefoot too. I’ve been running completely barefoot for about a year and before that I ran in Skinners for several years, which are basically socks that are tough on the bottom. I still wear Skinners if I’m unsure of the surface I’ll be running on, and I’ll switch to trail running shoes if I’m going for a trail run, but almost all of my training runs are barefoot in my local park or track.

I don’t put too much weight in the claims that it’s going to make me healthier. I think there’s a good argument for it, and there is at least some evidence that it does good, but it’s not hugely compelling to me. I run barefoot because it feels good to be light on my feet and connected to the ground.

Since running in Skinners / barefoot, I’ve had a weaker knee stop giving me problems. But how much of that is down to running in general (running is good for your knees) as opposed to doing it barefoot, I don’t know. But I’m running more because I’m enjoying it more.

The article is pretty awful. There was a fad, not a hysterical mob going after people. Runners are pretty chill. Nobody is going to attack you for wearing the wrong thing.