Modern running shoes with heavily cushioned soles have simply changed the way that people run. People accustomed to running barefoot or with non cushioned soles strike the ground differently and utilise slightly different muscle groups. The foot is very well evolved to act as a kind of spring through the arch. Barefoot running is still a popular sport and barefoot runners have competed successfully in normal competitions in the Olympics. Zola Budd won the world cross country titles in 1985 and 1986 running barefoot and competed barefoot in the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984. I include the summary of "Foot strike patterns and collision forces in habitually barefoot versus shod runners" Liebermann DE, Venkadesan, Werbel WA, Daoud IA. Harvard skeletal biology lab 2010 "Our research asked how and why humans can and did run comfortably without modern running shoes. We tested and confirmed what many people knew already: that most experienced, habitually barefoot runners tend to avoid landing on the heel and instead land with a forefoot or midfoot strike. The bulk of our published research explores the collisional mechanics of different kinds of foot strikes. We show that most forefoot and some midfoot strikes (shod or barefoot) do not generate the sudden, large impact transients that occur when you heel strike (shod or barefoot). Consequently, runners who forefoot or midfoot strike do not need shoes with elevated cushioned heels to cope with these sudden, high transient forces that occur when you land on the ground. Therefore, barefoot and minimally shod people can run easily on the hardest surfaces in the world without discomfort from landing. If impact transient forces contribute to some forms of injury, then this style of running (shod or barefoot) might have some benefits, but that hypothesis remains to be tested."