@lmallen00 instead of getting pissed off and attacking me, scroll down for four seconds and you'll see that I'm being sarcastic. Christ, settle down. As a running fan/nerd/enthusiast who can name the last 3 Americans in every Olympic and World Championship distance event in the 2000s, I'm embarrassed to be associated…

Huh? There's no such thing as a "pro" marathon, and there aren't any pros running marathons barefoot. None in modern times.

Fair enough. You're only the 73rd (approx) to miss it.

it's spelled "sarcasm".

Sarcasm. Being sarcastic.

The Massai and the Tarahumara Indians have the healthiest feet in the world? Did WHO do a study on this? That's amazing information.

No, what's ridiculous is that you didn't see the dozens of posts pointing out that I was being sarcastic. Of course they don't wear barefoot shoes or run barefoot. Jesus.

Eh I'd leave it. If the three question marks and excessive capital letter usage and the fact that it is so obviously not true doesn't give it away, I'm not sure there's hope. Check my most recent response- a guy claiming it's POLITICAL CORRECTNESS DUR DUR DUR that's the reason we can't point out that Africans run…

Ugh jesus christ this has nothing to do with political correctness or "racial heritage" and everything to do with you completely missing my sarcasm. Further, no Kenyan and Ethiopian elites run barefoot- as soon as they can afford shoes or as soon as a shoe company gives them shoes, they wear shoes.

What in the wide world of fuck does that have to do with running barefoot or wearing barefoot-type shoes? Jesus.

No, it does not happen. Just stop.

Zola Budd, 1984 Olympian. 30 years ago. Well done. You're right, there are elite runners who train and race barefoot (in history, ever, at some point before 1990, but not since then, because it is very stupid and slow).

Christ. I'm not lying. I have no reason to lie about being a mediocre/sub-elite runner.

Ah that's better, don't admit that you are wrong, call me out and assume I'm lying. We went from talking about whether or not elite runners wear barefoot-type shoes to accusing me of being a communist dictator. Really brilliant stuff, there. You must be great at parties.

Sarcasm.

I apologize for the confusion. I was being sarcastic- I know that none of the elite East African runners train or run barefoot or in barefoot-shoes.

The Olympic runners who performed admirably barefoot did so in the 1960s, and performed better when they switched to shoes.

I do race. I was fortunate enough to be in the elite starting corral of the largest half-marathon in America, where the winner was a Kenyan finished in 1:01 and was definitely wearing shoes. In the elite staging area before the race, there were roughly 50-75 of us, and zero of us were wearing barefoot-type shoes. Same…

If the body "intended" for people to run barefoot/minimalist, why is every track record and road racing record set in a pair of shoes? Your body doesn't "intend" to do anything. Just because your body works well barefoot doesn't mean it can't work better with shoes.