By BILL KATOVSKY
This article is excerpted from ZERO DROP, a new blog about barefoot and minimalist running by journalist and author Bill Katovsky. The text comes from Katovsky’s “A-Z Guide to Minimalist and Barefoot Running Shoes.”
The barefoot and minimalist running shoe phenomenon has yet to crest. We’ve edged past the “early adopters” phase. Come this spring (2011), when multiple new minimalist-oriented shoes will come to market, the running world is in for one of its biggest fundamental shifts since Nike first introduced its “waffle” tread in 1974.
Maybe I’m exaggerating. But I don’t think so. Not when the big boys of the industry — Asics, Brooks, Saucony, New Balance, Merrell, even Keen! — are now involved. Nike has been in the “barefoot” game for years. Meanwhile, upstarts like Newton Running are capturing a large part of the market, and several other newcomers, most of them small entrepreneurs with a maximalist vision of future success, are striving for momentum and market reach.
What constitutes a minimalist or barefoot shoe? There are several criteria, including an absence of a thick, rigid, overbuilt and unresponsive heel-crash pad; the use of lightweight material for the upper part of the shoe; a flexible sole; a lightweight build; and a footbed that is relatively flat and contains little cushioning support. Another important point — and the namesake of my blog, ZERO DROP — is heel-to-toe height differential.
Here’s what Running Times smartly wrote about the subject of “drop”: “Many traditional training shoes put the foot 22-24mm off the ground in the heel and 10-15mm off the ground in the forefoot. The difference between the two — typically 12-14mm in traditional training shoes — creates a forward-leaning slope designed to reduce stress on the Achilles. Minimalist shoes trend toward being much more level (a 2-10mm slope) with the assumption that the runner will land on the midfoot and use the natural cushioning of the arch, thus the built-up heel only adds weight and gets in the way of an efficient stride.”
If you run without shoes on, you’re going to have “zero drop.” There is no heel-to-toe height differential, and your foot lands naturally on the mid-foot or even further forward. Mimicking this experience is a goal in the barefoot/minimalist/natural-running category, and most of the shoes in this guide reflect that theme.
