Research

Complex structures like the human foot have taken countless millennia to evolve to their current state. How long have running shoes?

Books

Born to Run (2009)
A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen
Christopher McDougall
Google Books

The Barefoot Running Book (2010)
A Practical Guide to the Art and Science of Barefoot and Minimalist Shoe Running
Jason Robillard
Google Books

Prevention of running injuries (2010)
A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen
Blaise Dubois
TheRunningClinic.ca

Documents

Endurance running and the evolution of Homo (2004).
Bramble, D.M. and Lieberman, D.E., Nature 432, 345-352 doi:10.1038/nature03052
Link

Mechanical energy and effective foot mass during impact loading of walking and running (2005).
Chi, K.J., and Schmitt, D., Journal of biomechanics, Volume 38, Issue 7, Pages 1387-1395 doi:10.1016/j.jbiomech.2004.06.020
Link

Foot Strike and Injury Rates in Endurance Runners: a retrospective study (2012).
Daoud, Adam I.; Geissler, Gary J.; Wang, Frank; Saretsky, Jason; Daoud, Yahya A.; Lieberman, Daniel E., Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 2012; doi:10.1249/MSS.0b013e3182465115
Link

Incidence and determinants of lower extremity running injuries in long distance runners: a systematic review (2007).
van Gent, R. N., Siem, D., van Middelkoop, M., van Os, A. G., Bierma-Zeinstra S. M. A., Koes, B. W.,Br J Sports Med 2007;41:469-480 doi:10.1136/bjsm.2006.033548
Link

Foot Strike Patterns of Runners At the 15-Km Point During An Elite-Level Half Marathon (2007).
Hasegawa, H. and Yamauchi, T. and Kraemer, W.J., Vol 21, Issue 3. Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research
Link

Foot strike and the properties of the human heel pad. (1989).
Ker, R. F., Bennett, M. B., Alexander, R. M., and Kester, R. C., Proc. Inst. Mech. Eng. H 203, 191–196  
Link

Foot strike patterns and collision forces in habitually barefoot versus shod runners (2010).
Lieberman, D.E., Venkadesan, M., Werbel, W.A., Daoud, A.I., D’Andrea, S., Davis, I.S., Mang’Eni, R.O., and Pitsiladis, Y., Nature 463, 531-535 (28 January 2010) | doi:10.1038/nature08723
Link

Effects of Footwear and Strike Type on Running Economy (2012).
Daniel P. Perl, Adam I. Daoud, and Daniel E. Lieberman, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 2012 | DOI: 10.1249/MSS.0b013e318247989e
Link

Running-related injury prevention through barefoot adaptations (1987).
Robbins, S. and Hanna, A. M., Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise Vol 19, No 2, 148-156. American College of Sports Medicine
Link

Athletic footwear affects balance in men (1994).
Robbins, S., Waked, E., Gouw, G.J. McClaran, J. , Br J Sports Med 1994;28:117-122 doi:10.1136/bjsm.28.2.117
Link

Barefoot Running (2002).
Warburton, M., Sportscience 5(3), sportsci.org/jour/0103/mw.htm
Link

Videos

The Barefoot Professor: by Nature Video (January, 2010).
Harvard professor Daniel Lieberman has ditched his trainers and started running barefoot. His research shows that barefoot runners, who tend to land on their fore-foot, generate less impact shock than runners in sports shoes who land heel first. This makes barefoot running comfortable and could minimize running-related injuries.
Nature Video, youtube.com

Barefoot Running with Christopher McDougall (October, 2009).
The Roving Runner strides along Central Park barefoot with Christopher McDougall, author of the bestselling book "Born to Run."
NYTimes, youtube.com