Canadian runners turn to 'barefoot shoes'

SASKATOON, Saskatchewan, July 9 (UPI) -- Many runners in Saskatchewan, Canada, say they are forgoing their running shoes in favor of "barefoot shoes," thin, glove-like coverings for the feet.

James Funk, a Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, marathon runner, said he switched from his old running shoes to barefoot shoes about a month ago and he has no intention of switching back, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported Friday.

"Why is it we've only had this explosion of running-related injuries since about the 1960s?" Funk said. "It's because that's when we started putting huge bits of foam under our feet."

Owners of stores carrying the products said they have trouble keeping barefoot shoes on the shelves.

"I wanted to try them off-road and took them for a short run ... and felt like I wanted to take my clothes off and run through the forest naked," said Brian Michasiw, owner of Saskatoon's Brainsport running store. "It was such an exhilarating feeling."

Michasiw said the cushioning and supports in regular running shoes can be detrimental.

"They're so good that they're doing a lot of the work for you," he said. "Which means that you're not using your body, right? And I think we're at such a point with our lives and technology that we need to start using our body or else it's going to atrophy."