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When Leif Summerfield made the choice to tackle the Ed Anacker Bridger Ridge Run last year, he had just one question: Could he do it?
A runner in high school, Summerfield, 32, had drifted away from the sport following graduation. Having not run in years, the Ridge would be a real challenge. To leading it off, Summerfield wanted to run the notoriously-rugged crest of the Bridgers lightly shod -- in
Vibram FiveFingers shoes.
Summerfield surprised far more than a couple of persons, which includes himself, finishing the run in five hours, 30 minutes.
"I didn't expect to do that nicely," Summerfield stated on Tuesday. "It wasn't the
Vibram Five Fingers that produced me go that fast; it was that I was free of charge to run for the first time."
Summerfield turned his attention to "barefoot" running immediately after reading "Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, plus the Greatest Race the World Has By no means Noticed," by Christopher McDougall. The book explores the running strategies of the Tarahumara Indian tribe of Mexico's Copper Canyon and details McDougall's rediscovery of running following suffering repeated running-related injuries earlier in life. Summerfield said he read the first couple of pages and couldn't put it down.
"I fell in love with trail running," he said. "The book can be a actually very good primer on the physiology of barefoot running -- taking shorter strides, strengthening your arches. You really feel like you might be working less. It really is more efficient."
As the science of running (and running shoes) continues to evolve, a growing body of evidence points to the rewards of running barefoot or in minimalist footwear. A study by the Harvard University Skeletal Biology Lab (published at www.barefootrunning.fas.harvard.edu) discovered that humans have only been running in standard running shoes because the mid 1970s.
The study noted that the cushioned heel present on quite a few traditional running shoes alters the foot's natural fall. Rather than a forefoot or midfoot strike, modern running shoes encourage a heel strike which distributes the impact force on the foot and leg in a markedly distinct way.
"For millions of years, it truly is most likely that runners landed with no single, particular foot strike, and rather landed with a selection of foot strikes which includes forefoot, midfoot and heel strikes, but we suspect that one of the most typical type of foot strike was a forefoot strike," the study discovered. "These kinds of strikes (i.e. landing first on the lateral ball of the foot) lead to lower impact forces which may perhaps result in lower rates of injury."
The study also found that people accustomed to running in conventional running shoes and heel striking would likely need substantial conditioning to obtain comparable outcomes as a forefoot or midfoot striker in "barefoot" or minimalist footwear.
Summerfield said he ran just a couple of miles a week for two months just before he felt comfy growing his runs to longer distances.
"You literally have to retrain your legs and feet to run inside the barefoot style," Summerfield said. "The initial time you put
Vibram Five Fingers on you're almost certainly going to really feel energized, you are leaning forward and on your toes. And then you stop running and recognize your feet are freaking out along with the next couple of days your calves are tied up in knots.
"These are small muscle groups, but they are so vital within the foot's biomechanical style."
Curt Smith of Schnee's Boots & Shoes on Main Street stated he doesn't see
Vibram Five Fingers or other minimalist running shoes as the single answer for runners, but rather as a training tool.
"The days of long strides and a good deal of impact on the heel and needing all that Nike Air and all that stuff -- I don't know if that is going to be a huge drive down the road," Smith said. "It is now a focus on getting individuals to run ideal."
Smith stated Vibram's FiveFingers shoe line is being joined by minimalist footwear from brands like New Balance, Merrell and Saucony. He said newer models of minimalist footwear have the familiar rounded cap of standard shoes, instead of the individual toe sleeves of FiveFingers.
Smith said the biggest drawback of minimalist footwear is the foot limited protection the shoes offer.
Summerfield agrees.
"I stubbed my toe twice on the Ridge and I remember both places it happened," Summerfield stated. "The little toe usually takes the hit. The lack of protection under the arch (is also a liability). If you stretch you arch out and hit a rock it feels like you're going to tear a tendon, but there are truly trail running
Vibram Five Fingers now that address those problems."
Despite their limitations, Smith said minimalist footwear has surely caught on in Bozeman. He said the shoes are common within the gym, on the trail -- even as water shoes. About the only place you won't see persons wearing FiveFingers is out on the town, he stated.
No doubt, they're a pretty bold fashion statement.
Smith stated he sees the future manufacture of running shoes meeting a middle ground between the ultra-minimal FiveFingers and conventional running shoes, models that put an emphasis on proper running form.
For Summerfield and others that have adopted the "barefoot" running style, that's wonderful news.
"Barefoot running allowed me to rediscover the joy of running and in specific the joy of running within the mountains," Summerfield stated. "And we live in such a perfect place for it."
Vibram Five Fingers
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