testimonials
Michael Sandler has applied his passion and insights into barefoot running in a way no one else has so far. You are holding in your hands a book as exhaustive and accurate of a description of barefoot running as you could ever hope for.
~Barefoot Ted
Michael Sandler and Jessica Lee have done a fabulous job of “reintroducing” us to barefooting, and we all have a lot to regain from this current “back to the future movement.”
~Danny Dreyer, best selling author of Chi Running
Dear Readers, enjoy the insights this book has to offer to help you to remember to run in an easy, light, and smooth way, with or without footwear of your choice. It is about form, joy, and the love of running. Run free!
~ Micah True, Caballo Blanco de la Sierra Madre
Barefoot Running by Michael Sandler is the best book on the market on how to begin and excel at barefoot running. I highly recommend it.
~Michael Nirenberg, author of America’s Podiatrist Blog
Barefoot Running arrives on the crest of a major paradigm shift in the world of running as, once again, we come to realize that nature is indeed best. Michael Sandler’s exhaustive treatment of the topic celebrates the amazing evolutionary success that is the human foot and serves as comprehensive user’s guide for its rehabilitation and proper maintenance.
~Dr. Joseph Froncioni, MDCM, FRCS(C)
I’m often asked where to start. Now I can say, start here.
Also, check out these outstanding testimonials from Michael Sandler’s barefoot running clinics!
“ I am hear because I love running and this is a whole new type or style of running I have never experienced. I love the power of the mind and what you can do when you keep pushing your edge. If I can learn to meditate and run…what an amazing blessing that could be for me. ” ~ Tasha Loy Riggs
“ Michael and Jesse are great guides in helping us how to barefoot run “the right way”. I am very inspired by this clinic and recommend it to anyone who is interested in healing, health and well being while meeting great people! ” ~ Dennis Shaver
“ Let’s get back to how we were meant to be! Let’s get in touch with our inner child and connect with mother earth! ” ~ Cyl
“ As time goes on I am finding that I am not only enjoying this, but my previous knee pain is reduced. and I am learning to be ‘lighter on my feet”. Awesome group!! ” ~ Alan
“ If you want to explore barefoot running, this is the place. ” ~ Steven
“This is a really fun group, and great for your body and soul. ” ~ Andrew Swartz
“Friendly people looking to have fun doing something we were meant to do.” ~ Tyler
*Steamboat Pilot & Today / Nov 09 / “Boulder Duo Promotes Benefits of Barefoot Running”
By Luke Graham
Steamboat Pilot & Today
Steamboat Springs — The idea that Michael Sandler would be one of the men leading a new running movement was at one time ludicrous.
Sandler, who co-founded the Barefoot Running Club in Boulder with Jessica Lee, was told there was a chance he’d never walk again and certainly no chance he’d ever run again.
He avoided a collision in Boulder in 2006 while in-line skating and crashed. The accident left him with a broken arm, broken hip and shattered femur, and the outlook wasn’t positive.
He’s had 10 surgeries on his left knee, has a titanium femur and hip and once needed custom orthopedic insoles to just walk across his living room.
But that’s when he turned to barefoot running, a movement that has started to pick up steam.
Sandler and Lee now offer barefoot running clinics in Boulder and plan to release a book in the spring about barefoot running and shoe reviews.
The two were in Steamboat Springs this week, testing out various shoes around town to further their research.
“It is the next big movement, rather than just a fad,” Sandler said. “It’s a movement in the sense that we’ve had selective amnesia for the last 30 years.
“There is a tremendous history of barefoot running that just stopped. But there has been a shift in consciousness and running minds that say, ‘Wait, injuries are up 10 to 15 percent since we’ve put on running shoes. Things aren’t getting any better. There has to be a different way.’ The tide is turning.”
Look at Abebe Bikila’s barefoot victory in the 1960 Olympic marathon and the rich history of barefoot running cultures, and the new movement seems to make sense.
Running barefoot essentially gets people to run on their forefoot. Doing so decreases the wear and tear on the rest of the body.
Sandler now runs more than 100 miles each week barefoot.
For Lee, however, the movement isn’t designed solely for an elite athlete. Lee said she hated to run, couldn’t go long distances without pain and generally looked at running as a chore.
Now, even if it’s just a mile or six, she likes running and swears just about anybody can.
“This is allowing me to enjoy running again,” she said. “The reason I hated running in the past was it was something I should do and it would be good for me. It felt like punishment. Now I go out because it’s just fun.”
For more information about Sandler or Lee or on the Barefoot Running Club, visit www.runbare.com.
*Denver Post / July 09 / “Running Barefoot Kicks up Mixed Emotions”
Dispute over muscle freedom.
By Anica Wong
The Denver Post
The pavement begins to warm under the summer Colorado sun as Michael Sandler jogs up Flagstaff Road near Boulder. Normally, this shouldn’t concern a runner. Sandler, however, is jogging barefoot.
“When you are barefoot, you are forced to run the way ancient man ran, which is a soft dance,” Sandler said. “Even my upper body got stronger.”
He claims he can run farther and with less chance of injury now that he has left his running shoes in the closet. He’s far from the only runner who believes so. The number of barefoot runners appears to be a growing niche among the running community. Those who run barefoot maintain it helps them keep a stride that delivers less shock to the foot, helping prevent injuries. Read more…