It's possible to run at or near an elite level without modern running shoes. For example the 1960 Olympic marathon was won by a barefoot competitor (his winning

It's possible to run at or near an elite level without modern running shoes. For example the 1960 Olympic marathon was won by a barefoot competitor (his winning time of 2:15:16.2 would be considered sub-elite today) [1]. One can speculate why all elite runners use shoes. Worth noting that running shoes designed for racing, as opposed to training, tend to be thinner and lighter and closer to a simple sandal [2]. I personally reverted from bare feet back to shoes after the occasional thorn or bit of glass getting stuck in my foot became too annoying. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abebe_Bikila#1960_Rome_Olympics https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abebe_Bikila#1960_Rome_Olympic... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racing_flat https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racing_flat