Barefoot college runners

No. You must wear shoes.

At the dIII xc champs in '04 there was a guy from colorado college who ran shoeless. I remember thinking "really?!?!" as he passed me.

I saw a guy run barefoot in a steeple at an outdoor meet last year.

I think the rule is that you have to START the race with shoes on.

True, you aren't DQed if you finish without a shoe, but if just happened to lose both spikes every single race, on dry courses, suspicion may be aroused. I don't know if they'd be legal footwear, but you could kind of skirt the issue with something like the Vibram Five Fingers that are essentially a rubber sock.

Vibram Five Fingers are heavier than a lot of spikes, so you might want to rethink that.

Yeah, I'm looking at them now and the rubber soles are bulkier than I had remembered. They're still only 5.3-5.6 ounces, which is fairly light for a track spike.

NCAA Rule 4-3-5:

'Competitors may compete in bare feet or with shoes on one or both feet.'

I ran against a barefoot runner in college, both track (steeple) and cross. Dude wasn't very good, like me. Someone actually pointed him out to me in the middle of a race once.

whichwhatever way, if you run barefoot, MAKE SURE you check the course first just to get an idea of terrain.

Also be wary of competitors spikes.

Consider starting at he back and progressing your way to the top.

If is against the rules ask if you/your coach can sign a waiver of sorts (draft one if needed and bring it there.)

Otherwise only thing that makes sense is to "lose" the shoes during the race.

If you get injured, cut, abraded or the likes - unless somebody wilfully and maliciously steps on your feet - don't blame anybody. Running barefoot is your choice and responsibility to do it appropriately.

I suggest avoiding being superficial about it.

Bests for your racing, shoes or no shoes.

Good question. A few people are saying it is a rule. Where is it listed?

Ok.. so I guess its not an NCAA rule but I would check with meet officials too before doing it to make sure they won't DQ you.

joknos wrote:

Ok.. so I guess its not an NCAA rule but I would check with meet officials too before doing it to make sure they won't DQ you.

yeh, they arent going to DQ you if it is CLEARLY stated in the rules that it is allowed. still, as others have mentioned you are a complete idiot if you want to run barefoot in any major D1 race.. i cant count the number of times i've been stepped on, jostled, spiked, etc. in the first few miles of a big 8k. if i had been barefoot i would have needed some serious stitches on many occasions. i'm sure it seems like a good idea when you are doing strides ont he infield, but in actuality you could seriously hurt yourself.

IMO it would be pretty retarded if you got DQ'ed for not wearing shoes.

Why should the race officials care?

It's a footrace from point A to point B, and provided you're aware of potential consequences of your actions (and you're not getting an unfair advantage), you should be able to race in anything from MX boots to high heels.

Who was that really fast woman from S. Africa who used to race barefoot?

She got away with it just fine.

zola budd

if a shoeless joe ran by me, i would catch up to him and stomp on his bare foot with my spikes

dark helmet wrote:

IMO it would be pretty retarded if you got DQ'ed for not wearing shoes.

I would have to agree, but if you have ever ran a hand full of college races if not top notch high school races you will run into old grumpy race officials that all they care about is pulling that pistol from their panties and firing it. I've had one that wouldn't let a teammate wear a headband.

What are the world records for various distances barefoot?

Mens Marathon is probaly Abebe Bikila 2:15:16

Womens 5k is probably Zola Budd 14:48

Has anyone run 4 minute mile barefoot?

Pretty sure Bruce Tulloh did.

People were running barefoot in the 2001 WCC because the mud was so bad. It was hard to tell though.