Daniel E. Lieberman Madhusudhan Venkadesan Adam I. Daoud William A. Werbel Collaborator Bios

This website has been developed to provide an evidence-based resource for those interested in the biomechanics of different foot strikes in endurance running and the applications to human endurance running prior to the modern running shoe.

To the readers of this webpage:

There are many discrepancies between the way some of the press has reported our paper “Foot strike patterns and collision forces in habitually barefoot versus shod runners” (Lieberman et al., Nature, 463: 531-565) and what the paper actually reports.

Here is a summary of our findings, which we try to explain in simple terms, videos and images in the following pages:

Our research asked how and why humans can and did run comfortably without modern running shoes. We tested and confirmed what many people knew already: that most experienced, habitual barefoot runners tend to avoid landing on the heel and instead land with a forefoot or midfoot strike. The bulk of our published research explores the collisional mechanics of different kinds of foot strikes. We show that most forefoot and some midfoot strikes (shod or barefoot) do not generate the sudden, large impact transients that occur when you heel strike (shod or barefoot). Consequently, runners who forefoot or midfoot strike do not need shoes with elevated cushioned heels to cope with these sudden, high transient forces that occur when you land on the ground. Therefore, barefoot runners can run easily on the hardest surfaces in the world without discomfort from landing. If impact transient forces contribute to some forms of injury, then this style of running (shod or barefoot) might have some benefits, but that hypothesis remains to be tested.

Please note that we present no data or opinions on how people should run, whether shoes cause some injuries, or whether barefoot running causes other kinds of injuries. We believe there is a strong need for controlled, prospective studies on these problems.

This website provides information on:

1. Human evolution and endurance running
2. Foot and lower limb biomechanics when running in shoes
3. Foot and lower limb biomechanics when running barefoot or in minimal shoes
4. Biomechanical differences between forefoot and midfoot striking and heel striking
5. Tools to help assess potential benefits of learning to forefoot or midfoot strike
6. Transitioning safely to forefoot or midfoot striking in minimal footwear or barefoot