Barefoot Running Step by Step

Ken Bob learning the cat-walk from a true master, Mittens
Ken Bob learning the cat-walk from a true master, Mittens

Summary

In 1997 Barefoot Ken Bob founded The Running Barefoot website. Throughout the years, that website served as a portal for sharing information about barefoot running, and Ken Bob had a thirst for such information. As of May 2011, much of that information became available in a handy book titled Barefoot Running Step by Step, thanks to co-author Roy M. Wallack and the folks at Fair Winds Press.

Story

In 2003 “Barefoot” Ted McDonald became one of many people who “cured” their back and knee pains by taking up barefoot running. In 2004 Ted E-mailed me to thank me for this website. In 2004 Roy M. Wallack was working on a story about PoseTech method of teaching running technique, and realized that it was much like barefoot running, so he Googled barefoot running, found, and interviewed Barefoot Ken Bob and they went for a run together, barefoot.

In 2009 Roy M. Wallack published Run for Life a book about running gently, which contained a chapter about barefoot running and Barefoot Ken Bob. Roy hoped it would change the world of running.

Buy Our Book!

Barefoot Running Step by Step the book @Amazon

Barefoot Running Step by Step the book @Amazon

Also in 2009 Christopher McDougall wrote “Born to Run”, a book based on the simple question; “Why does my foot hurt”. The book talked about ultra-running, Tarahamara Indians, Mexican drug lords, etc.. oh yeah, and there’s a chapter about Barefoot Ted, and another chapter about Barefoot Running (to help explain Barefoot Ted). Born to Run did change the world of running. More people, many who had grown frustrated with being chronically injured or suffering pain while running in shoes, became curious and wanted to learn HOW to run barefoot.

Born to Run is a great book, and an adventure story. But it is not an instruction book for learning to run barefoot.

In 2010 Quayside Publishing asked Roy M. Wallack to write a book explaining HOW to run barefoot. Roy contacted Barefoot Ken Bob, who was about to leave on a 2-month tour around the country to meet up with some of the people from “Born to Run” and help people learn how to run barefoot. This also provided a great opportunity to interview other barefoot runners with various levels of experience.

Roy and Ken Bob co-authored Barefoot Running Step by Step (based greatly on Ken Bob’s experience and information gathered through this website and forums associated with this website, as well as runners met on Ken Bob’s trip). Barefoot Running Step by Step was published in 2011 April. In 2011 and 2012 Barefoot Running Step by Step sponsored The Naked Foot 5K race series. Barefoot Running Step by Step continues to help tens of thousands (hopefully, anytime soon, millions) of people discover the true JOY of running easily and gently as only they can learn and fine-tune through the messages from their soles over time (or much quicker if beginning at a very young age).

Of course, Barefoot Running Step by Step, this website, and associated forums, can help people avoid many common downfalls associated with the transition to barefoot running, especially trying to transition to barefoot running through the use of “barefoot” shoes; which has led to a great many injuries and even lawsuits against some of the shoe companies claiming their products will “help reduce injuries just like barefoot running”.

Videos

Ken Bob Keynote Speaker at 2012 August 03 Suggs Sports Medicine (short)

Gallery

Related Links

Contact

For publicity contacts (journalists, etc.), invites for barefoot running guest speakers, offers of sponsorship, RSVPs to events, etc.. please see our Contact Page If you have questions, answers, comments, stories, etc. related to running barefoot, or are curious why you got injured by running in “barefoot shoes”, please share publicly to benefit from, and add to our global knowledge base about barefoot running. Keeping these questions private, is the reason so few people hear about barefoot running. Sharing our stories, questions, comments, etc. is the reason Barefoot Ken Bob Saxton established the original Running Barefoot website in 1997, and the reason Barefoot Ted is in the book “Born to Run”; which is the reason so many more people, who otherwise would not have, have heard about barefoot running!

Buy Our Book!

Barefoot Running Step by Step the book

14 comments on “Barefoot Running Step by Step

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