The history behind running barefoot dates back to several years ago. Running has been a practice for many people since the beginning of time. Undoubtedly, running has changed over the years and it has transformed into a source of competition, a source of healthiness, and even job opportunities. When researching running or unique ways to improve one’s running skills, people often come across the infamous tribe, the Tarahumara Indians. The book Born to Run, written by Christopher McDougall, tells of the history of the Tarahumara Indians, or as McDougall calls them “A Hidden Tribe, Super Athletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen.” The Tarahumara Indians are a tribe that resides in Mexico and has been found to run extremely long distances
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There are many other cases of barefoot runners in history who were not a part of the Tarahumara tribe who have been successful. One of these remarkable barefoot runners is Bruce Tulloh. Amby Burfoot tells of Bruce Tulloh in his article, “Should You Be Running Barefoot?”. Burfoot tells of Bruce Tulloh, a barefoot runner himself, setting record times in Europe. Tulloh, like McDougall, was extremely compelled by the Tarahumara Indians and, as a result, explored the Tarahumara Indians running style and technique. Roger Robinson tells of Tulloh’s findings in his article, “A Brief History of Barefoot Running”. Tulloh not only studied the Tarahumara Indians but also participated in some of their training. After running with the Tarahumara, Tulloh commented that “Their stamina was impressive. I was still in 14:00 shape for 5,000m, and one of their stars, Ramon, in his mid-40’s, ran with me for 90 minutes and never took his hat off” (Robinson). Another one of these phenomenal barefoot runners is Abebe Bikilia of Ethiopia. Bikilia walked to the starting line of the 1960’s Olympics, barefoot. Barefoot running seemed nearly unheard of at this time, bringing much surprise and curiosity to other athletes and viewers at this
There are many other cases of barefoot runners in history who were not a part of the Tarahumara tribe who have been successful. One of these remarkable barefoot runners is Bruce Tulloh. Amby Burfoot tells of Bruce Tulloh in his article, “Should You Be Running Barefoot?”. Burfoot tells of Bruce Tulloh, a barefoot runner himself, setting record times in Europe. Tulloh, like McDougall, was extremely compelled by the Tarahumara Indians and, as a result, explored the Tarahumara Indians running style and technique. Roger Robinson tells of Tulloh’s findings in his article, “A Brief History of Barefoot Running”. Tulloh not only studied the Tarahumara Indians but also participated in some of their training. After running with the Tarahumara, Tulloh commented that “Their stamina was impressive. I was still in 14:00 shape for 5,000m, and one of their stars, Ramon, in his mid-40’s, ran with me for 90 minutes and never took his hat off” (Robinson). Another one of these phenomenal barefoot runners is Abebe Bikilia of Ethiopia. Bikilia walked to the starting line of the 1960’s Olympics, barefoot. Barefoot running seemed nearly unheard of at this time, bringing much surprise and curiosity to other athletes and viewers at this