Our hometown of Portland is obsessed with running. It’s nearly impossible to go anywhere in this city without seeing at least one jogger, even in our drizzle-icious winter months. Given how many Portlanders are passionate about running, it never takes long to see the latest running footwear trend pounding the PDX pavement.  I can’t wait to see some brave Portlander running around in the newest development in running technology:  barefoot running shoes.

No, it’s not an oxymoron.  And the people that are wearing these new strange toe-shoes aren’t morons, either.  More and more barefoot runners have been spotted in marathons across the globe.  Cross-sport enthusiasts, biomechanic experts, and doctors agree with these shoe-free runners, arguing that the human foot is engineered to work well without any shoes at all.

As Tim Ferriss highlights at the Huffington Post, human feet look very different when they haven’t been constantly strapped into shoes.  Ferris includes photos contrasting modern feet with natural feet, which have never been “adulterated by footwear.”  The natural feet are flatter, with widely spread toes.  In contrast, modern feet tend to be shaped like the shoes we wear.  They are pointy and squished, and don’t provide as much support and balance as natural feet. As a yoga teacher, I can vouch that strong, well-balanced feet have wide-spread toes.  In fact, several companies sell products designed to help yoginis stretch their toes–in essence, training the feet to go back to their natural state.

These new Vibram FiveFingers, as shown at top, are designed to allow people to move more naturally, while strengthening feet, improving posture, and providing protection.  I’m hoping to take a pair of FiveFingers for a test run sometime soon.  Portlander that I am, I already have my first question in mind for the salesperson:  are these babies waterproof?  If so, sign me up.