The tone of your post is odd, as if you normally would expect everyone to do exactly what all the most current science suggests (nevermind that there are usuall

The tone of your post is odd, as if you normally would expect everyone to do exactly what all the most current science suggests (nevermind that there are usually multiple conflicting theories). "Hasn't been stopped?" Stopped by whom? Lots of things that are far more harmful than running have not yet been stopped. Not everyone wants to use fancy machines for exercise...I'm just kind of baffled by this "how can people still be running?!?!" perspective. I'm also confused by the part about expensive gear...running is one of the few forms of exercise you can accomplish with literally no gear at all, all you need is your body. That is probably one of the main reasons for it's enduring popularity - it is a basic and instinctual animal movement, there's no overhead, no setup time, no instructions, you just move your legs until you're in shape. Some people prefer that simplicity to all the fancy science and machines.