dfroelich wrote:
It is more than this.
Not only are the top pros in non-flat and cushioned shoes, but so are the Kona runners. So are regional AG winners. So are the top finishers at local races.
Barefoot style shoes are neither necessary nor sufficient to run with a good, efficient form.
I'll agree with the prevalence of shoes in winning/record breaking performances. And sure, that's a perfectly good reasonable argument TO wear shoes that I won't disagree with one bit. If that's your means of selection, it's probably a pretty good one, and you should go with it!
Still, despite this reality of shoe-wearing winners in pro and AG realms, remember the key reality - NO running shoe has been ever proven to give a runner a speed advantage, include against barefoot. The closest one gets to a speed advantage is using spiked running flats on a track or x-country course.
As I mentioned though, one of the reasons I myself am going minimalist despite the lack of speed gain and no proven data about injury reduction, is that I think there's enough evolutionary and other evidence to suggest that it'll allow me to run well into my later years, longer than if I had been shoed. It's a guess, but I'm gambling that adopting a technique that is closest to what nature designed us for and using my achilles the way it was meant to be used rather than shielding it with a shoe, will pay off down the road. There will never be a convincing 25+ year series of studies to prove this definitively in any way, but I'm going to go with our anatomical natural motion as my best defense against aging joints etc. It's already paying off with regards to my horrible ankles for me by eliminating ankle rolls from the big stack, and I'm hoping it'll pay off more as I get older.
But just as importantly - it's just hella fun for me to run minimalist! I love the feeling and connection to the ground.