Running Cross Country barefoot?

KielyUnusual

A question for all those cross country runners out there.

I'm doing the Dublin Marathon in October and the London Marathon in April next year. In between both, I want to do at least one cross country race because I haven't ran one since I was a kid.

Trouble is, I don't want to buy any expensive gear because I'm fairly broke and I just want to test the waters before getting in to the XC properly. As a young lad (11 or 12), I used to run these races barefoot and I loved it. Would there be any people that do the adult races barefoot or would I just look a complete and utter plank?

That's basically all I want to know.

robinph

I've seen people who do them barefoot before in the likes of BHAA. You'd want to be fairly sure that it is a proper grass route as some will have gravel sections and don't get too caught up in the melee at the start or you'll loose a foot from other people's spikes.

RayCun

You can run in normal runners if you like. If the ground is dry you won't lose a lot from not wearing spikes.

pconn062

I would be slightly wary about going barefoot especially if you were going to be finishing mid-pack as the races can be quite rough with a lot of pushing and jostling so it would be quite easy for someone to stand on your foot, and with spikes on a barefoot that would hurt! :pac: Cross country spikes are actually reasonably cheap compared to runners and you could easily pick up a pair for under 50 euro. Believe me once you try one X-country race you will be hooked so the spikes won't go to waste!! :pac:

Krusty_Clown

Trail shoes (if you have them) would be a second best option after the spikes.

KielyUnusual

Yea pconn, they're not too expensive actually. I'm fairly sure that I'm going to end up doing more than one, once I break the duct. Might be worth making the investment early on rather than putting it off. I'm a country lad at heart and running through muddy fields is what I was born to do. If they throw in a few barb wired fences and ditches that you have to hurdle, I might actually be competitive. Roll on the Irish Cross Country Steeplechase Championships 2013.

Thanks for all the advice everybody. It's nice to know that there are a few people that to do it at least if I do go down that road, down that field I suppose.

Timmaay

KielyUnusual wrote: »

Roll on the Irish Cross Country Steeplechase Championships 2013

Hmmm do tell more, I haven't heard of this!

But yeh, ya can do XC barefoot, I have done one before, in 6inches of slop and muck, the disadvantage of less grip is sort of balanced out by not having mud caked to your spikes, however I personally wouldn't recommend it, certainly not for your 1st ever XC, they are a totally different beast to your average 5k/10k!

myflipflops

I lost a spike with about 2k to go in a muddy national junior cross race years ago. I kicked off my foot liner too and and finished with one bare foot. I obviously had a tiny cut somewhere as I picked up an infection up my whole leg about 3 days later and was out for a couple of weeks until antibiotics cleared it.

If the marathons are your goal, don't risk running a cross country race bare foot. Just wear your normal trainers.