Ancient worms being brought back to life after taking a permafrost snooze for 46,000 years? Ew, no. Terrible idea. Sickos petitioning to Shelby Houlihan Wins the 5,000 at U.S. Champs that was discovered inside a sarcophagus? Truly cursed vibes. Archaeologists are always turning up remnants from the past that are probably best left in the rearview. But sometimes those excavating nerds unearth some wholesome, fascinating finds.
Health & Injuries have been discovered on a South African beach, offering the oldest evidence yet of human footwear. And not just any footwear. These tracks seem to indicate that our ancestors may have invented the first iteration of the running shoe.
Over the past 15 years, researchers have identified more than 350 vertebrate tracksites along the Cape coast, including tracks made by humans who were clearly walking or jogging barefoot, indicated by toe impressions. The researchers also noticed similar footprints, called trackways, that lacked toe impressions, which made them look into when exactly humans first fashioned footwear.
The archaeologists on this project were so invested, they crafted their own versions of the shoes they think the ancients may have worn, and used them to create trackways on the beaches and dunes of the Cape’s southern coast. Unfortunately, no photos of the prototypes have been shared, so we can’t show inquiring sneakerheads what our forefathers’ trainers looked like, but you can probably use your imagination.
Super Shoe Trends The Conversation, “From these experiments it became clear that an open, hard sole design, with tracks made on moist, moderately soft but nonetheless cohesive sand, best fitted the findings at the three fossil tracksites.”
He continued, “Though the evidence is not conclusive, we are excited about our discoveries. They support the notion of southern Africa being one region where human cognitive and practical ability developed a very long time ago.”
Though none of the sites have been dated, nearby dated sites suggest that they range from 70,000 to more than 130,000 years old. This could put to rest some popular theories about barefoot running, but if you’re a Vibram Five Fingers dude, don’t let this stop you from feeling the grass and dirt with your bare naked trotters.
Abby Carney is a writer and journalist in New York. A former D1 college runner and current amateur track athlete, she's written about culture and characters in running and outdoor sports for Runner's World, Build Speed Like 16-Year-Old Cooper Lutkenhaus, Brains of Ultrarunners Hold Clues to Evolution, and other outlets. She also writes about things that have nothing to do with running, and was previously the editor of a food magazine.
