City Sports 480 Boylston Street – Boston, MA 02116
When most runners would rather hit the snooze button, some brave Bostonians put their soles to the test on a chilly Saturday morning.
Over 100 strong showed up at the City Sports on 480 Boylston Street to learn barefoot running techniques from some of the top experts. On hand was “Born to Run” author Christopher McDougall, Harvard Professor and evolutionary biologist Daniel Lieberman and Vibram Spokesperson Corrado Giambalvo. The trio answered a wide array of questions and shared their advice on running barefoot for the first time.
“I’m happy that Vibram and City Sports are doing this to give people the opportunity to learn how to use the product properly,” McDougall said. “Throughout history, running has been an activity that has been associated with vitality and freedom. Only recently has it been associated with pain and fear.”
After runners got used to the sensation of being barefoot outdoors, the group was sent for a short jaunt around Boylston Street with the guidance of the three special guests.
“This is a project in self-experimentation,” Giambalvo said. “The greatest aspect of this movement is re-educating your feet and re-experiencing the joy of running.”
Benefits of barefoot running include a quicker and shorter stride with less time spent on the ground. Since less time is spent in contact with the ground the wear and tear on a runner’s body will be reduced.
“You need to start slowly because if you don’t you will injure yourself,” Lieberman said to the excited group. “It’s a relearning process, but when you emerge on the other end you’ll wonder why you ever wanted to heel strike in the first place.”
Attendees of the event also got a firsthand look at the highly anticipated Vibram FiveFinger Bikila (named after two-time Olympic marathon champion Abebe Bikila). The Bikila is the first Vibram FiveFinger designed specifically for running boasting a more segmented outsole and breathable mesh upper.
For more on barefoot running or to see our full selection of Vibram FiveFingers, visit our site at : http://bit.ly/cdKrn2
Saturday April 17th, 2010
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