A recent issue of Club Runner magazine, in addition to lots of ads for beefy shoes costing over $100, includes an interview with “The Running Doc” Lewis Maharam. (Indian-sounding name, but I don’t think he is Indian.) Always in the running media, Maharam is quite the minor league celebrity doctor, and the introductory profile claims that runners fly from all over the country to hear his words of wisdom.
Such as this gem: “Injuries are due to biomechanical imbalances, which you are protected against to some extent if you wear the right shoes. But if you run barefoot, the imbalances become magnified and you are more likely to be diagnosed with an injury.”
Was the doctor misquoted? If not, does he have the slightest bit of evidence for this claim above? I’m sure we’d love to see it.
I have another suggestion: maybe if these runners didn’t wear shoes, they wouldn’t have to fly cross country to have their injuries expensively treated. I’m sure their health insurers would appreciate it.
Maybe these runners should buy my book! At $18.95 with free shipping, I’m sure it’s less than Maharam’s copay.