Runner's (aka Shoe) World

I picked up this month's issue of Runner's World to read an article about Henry Rono's comeback.  (Henry is a former world record holder who I've written about here.)  I probably haven't bought an issue of Runner's World in a few years, and unfortunately the magazine still seems to be centered on the same subject: shoes.

This issue had pages upon pages reviewing all different types of shoes: motion-control shoes, shoes for pronation, supination, etc.  But what's wrong with the bare foot?  Nothing in my mind, and therefore the less shoe, the better.

Slowly, researchers are making their way around to this same conclusion.  This recent paper suggests that shoe-wearing itself is behind some of the foot problems that occur in modern societies.