Running shoes? Who needs 'em?

DALLAS — Under the early morning street lights, some of the running experts from Luke's Locker take to the streets.

The cold crisp air; the cracked concrete; and the twists and turns of a six-mile trek are nothing too strange for avid runners.

What is strange is what's on their feet.

These men are part of a growing trend in North Texas; one that re-teaches your feet to run barefoot.

For Duncan Cragg, it's second nature. "I used barefoot running as a tool," he said. "We did that as a culture."

Cragg came to the U.S. from South Africa to run track for SMU. He and thousands of others are now using the Vibram FiveFingers  to train.

"It's going to make you work muscles that you haven't used for a while, like your shins," he said. "It takes a load off your arch."

The shoe is basically a rubber casing for your foot, and sales have skyrocketed.

Business is so brisk that the small Italian company that makes them struggles to keep up with demand.

Since 2006, when the shoe was first introduced, sales have tripled each year. Last year alone, 11 million pair were sold.

Users claim the shoe strengthens their legs, and has even helped ease chronic running pains for some.

Running trainer Patton Gleason said the approach was a last resort after years of pain. "I was at my wits' end," he said.

Even for an experienced runner like Gleason, the transition from traditional running shoes to FiveFinger Vibrams must be a slow one.

"We have a series of muscles that we've conditioned to respond well to shoes; now we're trying to teach them to respond to themselves," he explained.

Texas sports medicine Dr. Melvin Manning is a runner, too. He has tried the "barefoot" shoes himself, and warns that runners should be careful.

"I think it's a recipe for disaster," he said.

Doctors and the manufacturer agree that even experienced runners shouldn't put these shoes on for the first time and run a long distance. Your feet must adapt to the shoe and strengthen progressively.

Dr. Manning said if that doesn't happen, the runner could get a stress fracture. "I've seen a number of injuries, a rash of injuries of people running long distance in this," he said.

"Your body has gotten so used to shoes, there's a little bit of an adaption there," Cragg said.

"I recommend you just wear it around your house for a week," Gleason added. "You're kind of re-teaching yourself to run again."

Cragg and Gleason only use the barefoot shoe for training, but others take it one step further — ditching shoes altogether and really go barefootin'.

The FiveFinger Vibrams cost anywhere from $75 to $85 and are sold only at specialty running stores.

E-mail jstjames@wfaa.com