Around 2009 there began a phenomena in the running community towards barefoot running. The fad was to get rid of the supportive and cushioned athletic shoes because they were regarded as the cause of many of the overuse injuries that runners were getting. The fad was backed and encouraged by a lot of so-called gurus, web sites, forums as well as books. It was heavily touted as being the answer to a lot of the issues that runners faced. It had been believed that as much as around one fourth of all athletes dabbled in the concept of barefoot or minimalist running at the time. Despite all the rhetoric and boasts made for barefoot running, the science and research did not back up those claims which were being made. For the majority of of those athletes that tried it, the benefits didn't eventuate, and so they went back to running as to what they were previously used to be exercising in. Athletes ultimately dropped fascination with it and regardless of all the hoopla and the volume of promotion which was directed at it, the trend began falling by end of 2014 and these days it rarely rates a mention with the exception of historic terms and by a tiny committed few which still do it and try to strongly recommend for this.
The fad did stimulate a lot of barefoot running shoes which is a bit of a contradiction as how can you be barefoot and also have running shoes. Nevertheless, these running shoes at that time were designed to be so minimal and also have little cushioning just like the traditional athletic shoes. They were genuinely simply protective covering of the foot. It had been believed that when by using these kinds of footwear that they are as close as you may get to running barefoot whilst still using some sort of running shoe. There have been a great deal of new brands into the running shoe market within the back of this craze as the traditional athletic shoes businesses ended up somewhat slow to respond to the progress in the marketplace. The traditional running footwear companies did react with increased minimalist shoes at that time. Since that time many of the new companies have left the market and the selection of barefoot running shoes supplied by the bigger athletic shoes companies are already significantly reduced for the reason that interest in these shoes have gone down to the level that they today make up a lot less than 1% with the athletic shoes market.
Despite the fact that there is no longer much interest, if any, in barefoot running shoes, there exists a legacy how the fad leaves on the market. Athletes are definitely more aware of the various design characteristics in running shoes for example the amount of cushioning and also the height of the shock absorbing back heel. There are some of the minimalist design features that have been incorporated into the more traditional running shoes. The plethora of running shoes today available on the market is now more considerable ranging from the minimalist end to the more cushioned maximalist end of the spectrum. It is obvious that the trend has left a legacy.