Rick Roeber
Encyclopedia
Rick Roeber, also known as Barefoot Rick, is a well-known barefoot runner that uses his barefoot running
Barefoot running
Barefoot running is running while barefoot—without wearing any shoes on the feet. Running in thin-soled, flexible shoes, often called minimalist running, such as moccasins is biomechanically related to running barefoot, but alters sensory feedback from the plantar mechanoreceptors...
ministry to help addicts, alcoholics, and the homeless. Roeber, a Lee's Summit, Missouri
Lee's Summit, Missouri
Lee's Summit is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri, and is contained within the counties of Jackson and Cass. As of the 2010 census found the population at 91,364 making it the sixth-largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area and the sixth-largest city in Missouri...
resident, was born in Lincoln, Nebraska
Lincoln, Nebraska
The City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379....
on December 20, 1955. Roeber has been interviewed about barefoot running in publications such as the Wall Street Journal, Fox News, and The Associated Press. He writes and speaks about his barefoot running and his Christian faith at various clubs, homeless shelters, churches, and schools.
History
Roeber began his running career in 1990, and has been running barefoot since October 2003. Previously, Roeber ran 18 marathons and thousands of miles with shoes. Roeber describes himself as a "challenged" runner when running with shoes, because he would over stride thereby heel striking. Since heel striking is a major cause of knee stress, Roeber continually injured his knees to the point where he would either need surgery to repair the damage or stop running altogether. After reading about how barefoot running forces proper technique, Roeber began his experiment with barefoot running. He subsidized his "shod" running with barefoot running for the next six months, until April 2004 when he ran the Boston MarathonBoston Marathon
The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon hosted by the U.S. city of Boston, Massachusetts, on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897 and inspired by the success of the first modern-day marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest...
barefoot. Since April 2004, Roeber has run exclusively barefoot, logging thousands of miles annually. In addition, he has completed dozens of barefoot marathons and one barefoot ultra marathon of 40 miles (64.4 km).
According to Roeber, he runs an average of 50 miles barefoot a week. Most notably, Roeber is a daily runner that runs barefoot in temperatures as low as 6 °F (-14.4 °C) in ankle deep snow and over 100 °F (37.8 °C). He encountered one experience with frostbite in 2004, but by his own admission, he has learned his limitations. His notable mileage was recognized in 2007 by Harvard anthropologist Dr. Daniel Lieberman and his associate William Werbel. Harvard expensed Roeber to the university in December 2007 to be part of a barefoot running study to discover the difference between shod and barefoot runners' foot falls. The combined study by Daniel Lieberman and William Werbel, et al., “Foot strike patterns and collision forces in habitually barefoot versus shod runners” was published in the January 2010 edition of Nature Magazine.
Roeber recommitted his life to Christ in March 1992 after struggling years with alcohol. After many years of recovery and as a "lover of Jesus", Roeber believed the Lord desired him to use his barefoot running as a ministry to others. In 2006, he began to write about his experiences and to publish miscellaneous writings to a growing email distribution. In 2007, Roeber went public regarding his testimony and how the Lord set him free in the Kansas City Star article, Barefoot in the Park. Since then, Roeber has shared his story with the national and local media, running groups, churches, schools, and homeless shelters (see Other Media Links). Published weekly since April 2007, The Bare Soul is a weekly devotional written and distributed by Roeber to thousands of runners and non-runners alike.
Present
As in past races, Roeber continues to put his feet to work by running for various charities. Two such examples are the Kansas City Rescue MissionKansas City Rescue Mission
The Kansas City Rescue Mission was opened by Dr. Jarrett Aycock in 1950. It is currently at 1520 Cherry Street, Kansas City with two buildings including recreational areas, classrooms, and offices. The mission offers help through three avenues, Relief, Recovery, and Re-entry. It is part of the City...
and the Free Wheelchair Mission
Free Wheelchair Mission
Free Wheelchair Mission is an international faith-based nonprofit, humanitarian, organization dedicated to providing wheelchairs for the impoverished disabled in developing nations...
.