Copy cat brings up a lot of good points, so I wouldn't dismiss him that fast. I especially like the point about a minimal heel drop...which make up some of my favorite distance running shoes (saucony kinvara and fast twitch).
Anatomically, we evolved to run over soft/sandy terrain...this was the savanah, grass lands, and eventual desert that made up the first 60,000 years of human existence on earth. The advent of foot wear (specifically mocasins, etc.) aided us in our disbursement across the planet. Either way, it wasn't until the last 30 years that shoe with high degree of heel cusioning emerged on the scene. That is also when a rise in knee and overuse related injuries started increasing.
Br
Hi, yes I know that, however, it's also over the last 40 years that running has exploded as a fitness activity. Yes people ran for fitness more than 40 years ago, but only athletes, "recreational" runners did not exist. I believe it was Adidas that started the ball rolling on that, by making 'sneakers' popular foot wear for the masses in the 1960s
Basically I think it's modern shoes that have enabled running to explode as a pass time. Which is also why there's been a massive increase in injuries, & not just because there's a lot more people doing it, but because the profile of the running population has gone from a small group of athletes to a very large and diverse group, including a lot of untrained and not very fit people.
Here are a couple references for copycat's sake, frankly I don't think he's up to speed on this subject, which may be due to age. I'm 45, & I've been a recreational runner since I was 14. I've owned a lot of different shoes from every conceivable manufacturer. I've never claimed to be an 'elite' runner, nevertheless, I've racked up a lot of miles over the years.
"The first New York City Marathon was held in 1970, organized by New York Road Runners Club presidents Fred Lebow and Vincent Chiappetta,[SUP]
[6][/SUP]
with 127 competitors"
The 2008 New York City Marathon was held on Sunday, November 2. A field of 37,899 runners participated.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_Marathon#History
I'm not disagreeing with you about minimal heel drop etc. I'm just questioning the wisdom of barefoot running. I do agree that minimalist shoes work better, esp. for long distance running. Too much cushion is just as bad as not enough when the routes get over 10 km.
Thanks for taking the time to reply. I hope this is useful to the OP. I believe that running can be a lifetime pursuit, but a lifetime of injury-free running would be a miracle.