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One thing that I have noted several times with the trend/swing that has occured to maximal running shoes is what is driving it.

The minimalist/barefoot fad was driven by so many evangelists, books, websites, magazines etc etc, but since around mid/early 2013 interest in it and sales of minimalist running shoes has been declining ... despite all the promoting of it.

When it comes to the upsurge in 'maximalism', I see no one driving it. It is just being fueled by runners buying them and liking them. There are no evangelists driving it, no websites or blogs or forums devoted to promoting it etc - all this occurred despite the rhetoric and propaganda from those promoting minimalism/barefoot and just how allegedly dangerous the opposite was. As I have noted in several places, at the run specialty level, Hokas now probably outsell the entire minimalist category - runners have voted with their feet.

The other driving influencer was that runners just were not getting the promised benefits that were being alleged by the the evangelists and, of course, the science has generally failed to support all the claims of propaganda and rhetoric (remember how bad it was for them during 2013 as study after study was published).

Of course the maximalist running shoe makers have been promoting their product, and so too have the minimalist shoe makers --- I talking about the outside influences.

Having said all that, I now have to retract my claim that there are no books promoting maximalism ... there is now one (a kindle from amazon.com): Maximalist Running Shoes - it only costs 99cents, so I purchased it thinking that if it was no good, all I wasted was 99c! ... well, I wasted 99c (2 pages of nothingness!)

 

Re: Maximalist Running Shoes

I left a one star review on Amazon.com

 

Re: Maximalist Running Shoes

Well, Craig, the author has now made 99 cents off of you. They are probably very happy with that fact...;)

 

Aloha Craig,

Send me fifty cents and I will send you our maximalist Department of Defense Research results for SBIR A11-109 "Advanced Composite Insoles for the Reduction of Stress Fractures."

Perhaps there has not been many books on maximalism because we the footwear specialist have failed to define it... other than allow supersized foam shoes to qualify as maximalism in design and function.

"There are no evangelists driving it, no websites or blogs or forums devoted to promoting it etc ". There is one renegade podiatrist on this forum I know of personally that could be considered evangelizing maximalist footwear for the safety and ability of our soldiers and infirm. Lot of good that has helped though...The professional dialog for this is still at a stand still standing still.

Mahalo,
Steve

Footwear Specialist and Advanced Composite Simple Machine Spring Lever Orthotic Runner-Walker-Hiker