I was answering a question today about why I run In Vibrams and other minimalistic shoes and of course the discussion quickly turned into heaal striking Vs. forefool landing. It was mentionedthat many Kenyans (and other top African runners) were heel strikers even though they did their formative running barefoot where heel striking is all but impossible (it's hard to land hard and bear the impact of a heel strike while running barefoot - try it - better yet...maybe just take my word on it. Looking at several videos of top places in major marathons I really didn't come across any evidence to bear this out. While some appear to be striking their heel - when slowd down it's viewd to be a mid-foot strike (more aptly described than forefoot.)
Here's an example -
While this is not to say that no major players in the marathon game aren't heel strikers - I think that for the most part running economy and longevty may demand less impact that is primarily found in a forefoot strike.
Of course I'm no major player in any race I enter - not even a minor player really - I run for joy, spirit and challenge and wish to do so for all of my life. Learning to run barefoot allows this.
Here's another example -
There's joy, ease and grace in their running.
And thatis what I aspire to.
Thaks for reading!
Eric
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