Watching Return of the King on TNT it dawned on me that the hobbits pretty much saved middle earth without shoes. They killed the Witch King of Angmar, saved Faramir, lit the beacons, and destroyed the one ring. They made it all the way to Mount Doom by way of the stairs of Cirith Ungol all without shoes. So take that "Barefoot Ted" and his ilk, Frodo and gang are the OG's of barefoot running.