Sunday I had a Sprint tri (which went well, by the way. Pictures here). It was a USAT sanctioned race and part of the rules were No Barefoot Running. Stated very clearly. Big letters. I've heard this is true for international races as well.
Is this just a triathlon thing? Marathons allow barefoot running, right? Even big ones like Boston? So why would USAT put a rule in place like this? It can't be to make transition times more fair. That seems silly, how much time could you really save? My T2 at this last race was something like 1:18 (it should be faster, I know). If I had gone barefoot I guess I could have cut that in half. But 30 seconds over a one hour thirteen minute race isn't all that much. So is it a liability thing? Does USAT worry they can't control what is on the road so it might be unsafe and then some crazy barefooter might sue? But then why are we allowed to run from the water to T1 barefoot? And we sign waivers before the race. So many questions! Anyone ever done a BF-friendly tri? Wht do you think about USAT changing their rules as the barefoot running movement gains popularity?
Is this just a triathlon thing? Marathons allow barefoot running, right? Even big ones like Boston? So why would USAT put a rule in place like this? It can't be to make transition times more fair. That seems silly, how much time could you really save? My T2 at this last race was something like 1:18 (it should be faster, I know). If I had gone barefoot I guess I could have cut that in half. But 30 seconds over a one hour thirteen minute race isn't all that much. So is it a liability thing? Does USAT worry they can't control what is on the road so it might be unsafe and then some crazy barefooter might sue? But then why are we allowed to run from the water to T1 barefoot? And we sign waivers before the race. So many questions! Anyone ever done a BF-friendly tri? Wht do you think about USAT changing their rules as the barefoot running movement gains popularity?