Wrong footwear exacts heavy toll on runners

LONDON - The 35,000 runners who lined up for last weekend's London Marathon probably believed that, after months of gruelling training, they were at the peak of fitness.

From the moment the starter's gun was fired, however, they risked an array of injuries and illnesses to which the average couch potato is immune. And for all of those who have taken up jogging as a way of keeping fit, similar problems may be ahead, mainly because they have the wrong footwear.

Stress fractures, twisted knees, torn Achilles tendons, ruptured hamstrings and "runner's nipple" - where the rubbing of a sweat-soaked vest can draw blood - were among the hazards which faced those tackling the 42km course. The marathon, one of sport's great challenges, also exacts a heavy toll in blisters, broken toenails and chafing.

According to Britain's Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, up to 60 per cent of sports injuries are caused by worn-out or unsuitable footwear.

Experts warn that the wrong trainer can do more harm than no trainer at all, a view that has fuelled a boom in shoes that replicate "going barefoot".

Thousands of Britons have turned to Masai Barefoot Technology trainers, whose uneven soles apparently encourage wearers to move in the same way as East Africa's Masai tribespeople walking barefoot in the sand. These trainers force wearers to engage core muscles to maintain balance, and are said to reduce back pain, arthritis and cellulite.

Aware that many great African runners began their careers training barefoot, sportswear companies have been exploring the technology's potential for years. A barefoot runner's foot hits the ground at a much shallower angle than if a shoe is worn, distributing the pressure more evenly and enabling the foot's 26 bones to interact.

The latest innovation is the Nike Free trainer, which went on sale in Britain for £60 ($157.50) this month and was used by marathon champion Paula Radcliffe in her preparation. It has deep grooves and slices on the sole, heel pockets to allow more natural movement, and slices to make the top more flexible. It is intended as a training aid rather than a running shoe.

Podiatric surgeon Mike O'Neill said: "The idea of the Nike Free is that is has a very thin sole with deep grooves so your feet will act as a natural spring.

"It has hardly any stability or motion support and will be a bit like wearing a sandal. For someone light and biomechanically stable, it's probably okay for short-distance running. I wouldn't advise anyone doing longer-distance running to wear it."

O'Neill said he saw many injuries caused by the wrong kind of trainers. "A lot of people come in here with knee problems, shin problems, back problems. So many of them are wearing crappy trainers.

"The London Marathon is a big problem for us. People see it and think, 'I'll do it next year.' They'll put on old trainers or buy some for £20 or £30 and start running.

"Or people can spend £70 to £100 but often the staff in the shop don't know what they're selling."

The marathon will test some footwear - and bodies - to destruction. Dr Jonathan Folland, an expert in exercise physiology at Loughborough University, said: "There are 10 or 20 injuries that are reasonably common among endurance runners."

Running such a long distance also leaves athletes vulnerable to infection.

Teesside University research found that 77 per cent of athletes in a half-marathon suffered flu-like symptoms afterwards.