Michael rests as he muscles up the energy to pull himself out of his home hospital bed with a broken arm and new titanium hip and femur in 2006.

From RunBare Co-Founder, Michael Sandler.

It was four years ago today I was injured in a near death accident. I’d been out inline-skating, training for a world record ultra-endurance coast-to-coast attempt to help students and adults with learning disabilities and attention deficit disorder. It’s something similar to what I’d done in 2004, when I rode my bicycle 5000 miles, in 40 days, solo and unsupported across the US to help with the same cause. That effort helped me reach people across the country, and yielded an invitation to speak before members of the House and Senate.

On this fateful day, after finishing training, I’d unlaced and sat down in the cool snow-melt run-off of the Boulder Creek to meditate and pray for safety and guidance. Then I laced up my skates and pushed off. The words from a new CD (Inspiration) from Dr. Wayne Dyer were resonating in my head “Everything happens for a reason”. I told myself to go slow, as I was in a touristy part of town and on a Sunday. However, I never expected what happened next. A tourist/father teaching his toddler son how to walk, inadvertently stepped out on the bike path before me. Even with a great brake sponsor, and going slow, there was no time to react.

I would either hit the baby, or hit the deck.

And no one hits a baby.

I threw myself up and back, a move that would have made an Olympic high-jumper proud.

In the air, I wondered if I’d still be able to do my cross-country skate.

And as I landed with a dull concussive thud, I had my answer.

And yet, I was smiling.

I’d prayed for safety and guidance, and somehow had my answer.

I wiggled my fingers, then toes, looked at the baby I’d avoided, and his dad, then up at the sun above.

Life is good, I thought. Life is good.

It was a moment that changed my life. And I knew it in an instant.

In 2006, doctors put together Michael's hip and femur. Today, he no longer sets off metal dectectors.

I’d shattered my femur, hip, and arm, and later found out shards of femur were less than a centimeter from my femoral artery, or a centimeter from death.

But I believed everything happens for a reason, and this event too would help my life.

It’s been 4 years since that event, or the ‘gift’ as I call it. A lot has changed in that time. They were lucky to save my leg, but with a titanium femur and hip (and near 1 inch leg-length discrepancy) told me I’d be lucky to walk again, and to forget about ever running. They were right, too, until I took off my shoes, felt the ground, and began to heal. Now I run 10 – 20 miles a day barefoot, touching the earth and feeling stronger with each step.

Since my accident and healing, I’ve gone on to help others, whether that’s runners looking to improve their performance, injured runners looking to heal, or people who used to love running but have quit because of their ‘bad knees’, ‘bad hips’ or ‘bad feet’…runner’s who’ve been told they just couldn’t’ do it anymore, or whose bodies just weren’t letting them. But once you go barefoot, and learn a lighter way to run, you find yourself dancing on the roads and trails, almost effortless, with a child-like grin once again.

Four years ago put me on this path to help others, to help us reconnect, run again pain free, and to dance with our feet.

I am very thankful for this day, and for where the ‘gift’ has taken me.

Thank you too for sharing in this special day, and thank you for listening.

With blessings,

~Michael Sandler,
Co-Founder, RunBare Company

It should be an exciting and informative presentation. We’ll be talking about the latest science, including Dr. Daniel Lieberman’s new study, and the recent study from the University of Virginia.

The result of wearing ill fitting shoes for a lifetime.

Unshod Adult Bare Feet are wider in the forefoot, providing natural stability.

We’ll look at transitioning to barefoot running, proper form, the dangers of modern footwear, the benefits of minimalist footwear and what to look for, how to train barefoot, and much, much more.  
 
We’ll also be looking at how to overcome injuries and get back into the sport, injury free, and how to stay that way for a lifetime of running 

We’ve been doing a lot of research for our upcoming book, “Barefoot Running,” which we’ll be sharing as well, and will have a lengthy Q/A session to discuss concerns and questions on this topic.

Bring your questions, bring your shoes, and of course, bring your own bare feet.

This talk is free and open to everyone of all ages and abilities. We welcome everyone to join us. Above all else, we hope you have fun, and learn something to bring back to your training.

Michael Sandler in a hospital bed one day after surgery on his shattered femur, broken hip and broken arm.

Michael Sandler, former speed skater and professional level cyclist, suffered multiple injuries over the course of a lifetime, the last of which occurred just over 3 years ago. Weeks before a planned inline skating world record attempt across the country (LA to NYC) to raise awareness about ADD/ADHD, Michael experienced a life altering accident. While inline skating down Boulder Creek Trail in Boulder, CO, a father teaching his toddler how to walk stepped in front of Michael’s path. To avoid a collision, Michael threw himself up and backwards and landed mid-rotation on a cement sidewalk. The result – a broken arm, broken hip, and shattered femur. Doctors told him the usual story – he may not be able to keep his leg… he may not be able to walk again… and he most definitely would never be able to run again.

Fortunately, Michael doesn’t believe in limitations. He’ll be the first to tell you he doesn’t believe in the word, “Can’t”. Slowly but surely, through a combination of determination, meditation, trust in the universe and the power of nature, along with a healthy dose of rebelliousness, Michael became a walking miracle.

Only a week out of his living room hospital-bed in 2006, he set the record for finishing the Bolder Boulder on crutches (and with a broken arm). Two weeks later, Michael finished the Denver Half Marathon on crutches (second to last) and became the only person to ever complete the half marathon on crutches.

When he finally got off his crutches, Michael gradually worked himself into barefoot running. He was still being told he couldn’t run anymore, and with a ‘leg length discrepancy’ of over 10 millimeters, struggled to find balance and overcome nagging pain. Known as ‘Mr. Plantar Fasciitis’ from before the accident, when he needed custom orthotics just to walk across the living room floor, going barefoot was a major leap of faith. The first day, he ran 100 yards. Then he iced his feet for 2 days. The second time, he ran 200 yards. Then iced for another 2 days. And so it went. Today, Michael can be seen passing cyclists while barefoot running up Flagstaff Mountain in Boulder. He’s capable of running 30+ miles barefoot and is currently averaging 80-100 miles of barefoot running a week.

To Michael, barefoot running is not running at all. He says, “I don’t run anymore. I dance.” The benefits are multifold. Barefoot running activates many more small muscle groups than running in shoes. It allows us to run as our hunter-gatherer ancestors did – the natural way our body was intended to run. It heals old sports injuries by promoting a more natural form. It gives us greater feedback with the ground, and by keeping us lower to the ground, helps us avoid new injuries. Barefoot running naturally promotes better, more efficient running posture and allows runners to surpass any speed they were ever able to attain with shoes. While the body heals, strengthens and economizes, the spirit heals and awakens. There’s something to be said about feeling the earth beneath one’s feet – feeling connected and grounded with nature. Suddenly, you’re thinking more clearly and you’re on top of the world.