NYC Barefoot Run 2011

By Justin Owings on Sep 13, 2011 | In general | 3 comments »

In less than two weeks the 2nd annual New York City Barefoot Run will be taking place. I'm happy and excited to be attending the event (Thanks Merrell!) and wanted to let you know that it's not too late to sign up and attend yourself!

Also, I should get a chance to bounce some questions off of a veritable "who's who" list of folks in the barefoot/minimalist running community, so if you have any questions you'd like to pose to folks like Christopher McDougall, Dan Lieberman, Barefoot Ted, Barefoot Ken Bob, Erwan Le Corre, Jason Robillard, Lee Saxby, Daniel Howell, Michael Sandler, Mark Cucuzella, Pete Larson, John Durant, etc., please let me know! Just leave a comment below!

And if you're going to be there, be sure to let me know.

Now if you're on the fence about attending, here's a bit of info straight from John Durant about what to expect at this year's weekend of barefoot mayhem in NYC!

What to expect, details for this year's NYC Barefoot Run

Straight from organizer John Durant:

The 2nd Annual New York City Barefoot Run is shaping up to be even better than last year: more clinics, more speakers, more sponsors, more excitement. Great for beginners and advanced runners alike. Pretty much everybody who's anybody in the barefoot or minimalist running world is going to be there. You can feel the momentum.

Both Chris McDougall and Dan Lieberman are giving talks they haven't given before. McDougall is talking about an old training technique, and Lieberman will be talking about sources of running injury. You're not going to want to miss either of those.

We have two Guinness World Record holders coming. Patrick Sweeney holds the record for the longest distance run on sand in 24 hours — 87.36 miles — all of which he did barefoot. And Anand Anatharaman organized the Mumbai Barefoot Half Marathon, setting the record for the largest barefoot half-marathon (306).

We're also going to have a lot of fun. Inspired by an old finding that rickshaw pullers had healthy feet, Barefoot Ted and the Luna Sandals space monkeys are working on some custom-built rickshaws. I have a suspicion that Barefoot Ted is going to get a lot of free rides around the island — kind of like Tom Sawyer getting his friends to paint the fence for him.

Barefoot Wine and Smuttynose are sponsoring wine and beer all weekend long, so spirits should be high.

Stats

  • Over 300 people signed up so far
  • 10 countries (USA, Canada, Great Britain, Australia, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Spain, Mexico, and India) and 28 U.S. states
  • Talks and clinics with Christopher McDougall, Dr. Dan Lieberman, Barefoot Ted, Barefoot Ken Bob, Erwan Le Corre, Jason Robillard, Lee Saxby, Esther Ghokale (posture), Dr. Daniel Howell, Michael Sandler, Mark Cucuzella, John Durant, and more...
  • Sponsored by Merrell, Vivobarefoot, Injinji, Luna Sandals, and Jackrabbit Sports
  • Wine provided by Barefoot Wine, beer provided by Smuttynose
    • Vivobarefoot running and injury clinics, Minimalist Expo, speakers at the Merrell Barefoot Party, and the Run on scenic Governors Island in New York harbor
  • Saturday and Sunday, September 24-25th
  • Cost: $75. Gets you a tech tee, entrance to all events, complimentary drinks all weekend, raffle giveaways, and lots of free stuff.
  • Register at NYCBarefootRun.com

Highlight Reel from the 1st Annual NYC Barefoot Run in 2010

Hope to see you there!

And leave those questions/comments!

About the Author — I founded BirthdayShoes.com in April 2009 on realizing just how much I enjoyed having "free feet" - I mostly wanted to use them for weights, sprints, and plyometrics (I'm not much of a runner!). I'm a Googler by day and minimalist footwear aficionado by night; you can find me 'round Atlanta. If you want to catch up with what I'm doing outside of the site here, follow me on twitter @bdayshoes or @justinno or check out my personal site JustinOwings.com.
has written 754 articles and 302 comments.

wait! before you go —

« Toe Shoes, Toe Strength, and the Power of Bare FeetNew Balance NB Minimus Cross Review (MX20) »
Comment from: Alex [Visitor]
AlexHey so i have been switching off running (i am not going long distances) between my vibrams, huaraches, and barefoot and i have started to get pain on my right foot under my second and third metatarsals. My second toe is longer than my big toe and my third is the same size. Is that an issue? Any advice? I love barefoot and minimalist running and i don't want to stop.
09/14/11 @ 01:12
Comment from: Ivan Olarte [Visitor]
Ivan OlarteWhoo hoo! I'm in Massachusetts 4 hours away but my wife talked me into going to this.

It would be great if others from this forum\community can meet up there as well.

Plan to run barefoot on sunday, as I run up to 10 miles a few times a week all barefoot.

Also bringing all my books to get them signed!

Hope to see you there!

Ivan
09/15/11 @ 11:51
Comment from: James [Visitor] Email
JamesThis sounds pretty cool, but it's sad that it's in NY, because I moved away from there a year and a half ago, right before the first one of these. The run is also on my birthday... How about getting a barefoot run for Chicago? Anyway, just thought I'd point out the irony of the picture, which is a guy running in shoes. I'm turning 20 this weekend, and I count myself lucky that I began running properly at a young age, Do you hear of many other younger people who run in VFFs or barefoot? I can't say I know of anyone else my age who does.
09/19/11 @ 16:11