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As we've reported throughout the year, the white-hot phase of the minimalist running movement, when many runners went directly from conventional shoes to barely there models, is over. The advice to gradually transition to lower, lighter shoes has been commonly accepted; a new study adds support to the wisdom of such a transition.
Australian researchers randomly put 103 runners into one of three types of shoes: neutral (Nike Pegasus 28), partial minimalist (Nike Free 3.0 V2) and what they called "full minimalist" (Vibram FiveFingers Bikila). The runners were classified as having neutral to mild pronation; most such runners are encouraged to buy conventional neutral running shoes, with moderate amounts of cushioning and little anti-pronation technology, such as the Nike Pegasus used in the study.
The researchers then tracked injury rates as the runners did a 12-week training program leading up to a 10K race.
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The fewest reported injuries were in those wearing the Pegasus; four runners in this group got injured. The most reported injuries were in those wearing the Frees; 12 runners in this group got injured. The runners in the FiveFingers reported more calf and shin pain than the other runners.
"Clinicians should exercise caution when recommending minimalist footwear to runners otherwise new to this footwear category," the researchers concluded.
It's important to note what this study does and doesn't show.
It does support the conclusion the researchers reached. That there were the fewest injuries in the neutral, conventional shoe is almost certainly partly because some of the runners weren't used to training in the two more minimalist models. Most experts agree that the best way to transition to minimalist shoes is to gradually increase mileage in them over a period of three or more months. In this study, in contrast, the runners immediately switched to doing all of their running in the new shoes.
At the same time, this study doesn't show that running in minimalist shoes will get you injured, or that running in conventional shoes won't get you injured. After all, most of the runners in the two minimalist groups didn't report an injury, even with the sudden switch to doing all of their mileage in the shoes. And some of the runners in the Pegasus got injured.
Finally, the study lasted 12 weeks, whereas most runners hope to stay in their sport for the rest of their lives. There's no way of knowing whether the rates of injury among the three groups would have changed in the ensuing weeks, months, and years if the runners stuck with doing all of their running in the assigned models.
The research will be published in a future issue of the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
Scott is a veteran running, fitness, and health journalist who has held senior editorial positions at Runner’s World and Running Times. Much of his writing translates sport science research and elite best practices into practical guidance for everyday athletes. He is the author or coauthor of several running books, including Running Is My Therapy, Advanced Marathoning, and Meb for Mortals. Scott has also written about running for Slate, The Atlantic, the Washington Post, and other members of the sedentary media. His lifetime running odometer is past 110,000 miles, but he’s as much in love as ever.
