Is The New York Times Obsessed with Christopher McDougall?

It sure seems that way when two articles about barefoot running and ultra-marathoners are featured in their Well blog this week. The first, “Is Running Barefoot Better for You,” tallies up the assenting and dissenting voices and comes out about even: “If you want to wear shoes, that’s fine, but if you want to try barefoot or in a minimal shoe running, you might really enjoy it.”

The second article made the Style section: “One Ultrarunning Problem, Solved for Good.” What’s the trend in this piece? Surgically removing one’s toenails!

No toenails!

In both pieces, Christopher McDougall and his runaway (heh) bestseller, Born to Run, are prominently featured. What does Chris think about removing one’s toenails? “You know any sport has gone off the rails when you have to remove body parts to do it.”