Shod - Minimalist - Barefoot? Heel strike - ball strike? Injurious - less injurious - no no no? Yes yes yes. The debate is endless. Inconclusive. So we decided to actually test it out. Why not?
Pheidippedes did it barefoot 2500 years ago.
Abebe Bikila did it barefoot in 1960.
So in the world's first ever "Barefoot Half Marathon" held at Navi Mumbai near Bombay, western India, 306 runners ran bare-barefoot (not shod-barefoot or minimalist-barefoot)and indeed made their way into the Guinness World Records as the "Largest Barefoot Run" on 12th December, 2010.
Injuries? None whatsoever.
Were they trained barefoot? Several many of them ran barefoot for the first time.
Hard ground? Yes. On asphalt road.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBXbFUUWx_g&feature=player_embedded