Have you ever wondered what a physical therapist thinks about all of the hype around certain footwear trends? We have, so we sat down with Dr. Zac Marion DPT about his unique perspective on the topic.

What makes Zac’s perspective unique is that prior to going back to graduate school to complete his doctorate in physical therapy, Zac was the product line manager for one of the shoe companies responsible for the paradigm shift in the running shoe industry – Altra Running.

In addition to being a physical therapist and one of the first employees at Altra, Zac is a coach for the treadmill app iFit. This platform enables Zac to help people from all over the world to live active lives – even if they are limited to a treadmill. In fact, the program follows Zac and other coaches to distinct sites across the globe to access spaces that may not be accessible to many (Mt. Kilimanjaro, New Zealand, Greece, etc.)

To see Zac run now, one would expect that he grew up running, be he actually didn’t grow up playing sports. In fact, it was less than a decade ago that he made the choice to switch from a sedentary lifestyle that led to obesity to a more active lifestyle that has led him to stand atop the podium of manyultramarathons.

Zac Marion at the TranSelkirks Run. Photo by Dark Horse Company

As a result of the benefits Zac found through running and the running community, Zac is all about promoting community health. iFit is a way for Zac and others to access parts of the world and move without some of the other impediments to activity. Running and iFit have provided Zac with a platform to help others move.

Advancements in technology, specifically the Internet, have enabled each of us (Zac, Malc, and Jacob) the ability to work with people from all over the world and for people from all over the world to work with experts even if they don’t live in the same area as them. We are able to do so much more now than we were even able to do just a few years ago.

Zac went back to school because he feels that it’s important to have a strong framework when it comes to evaluating bodies, theories, and fads so that we don’t always land on one side of the continuum or the other.

In this episode we discuss the importance of a comprehensive team to help each individual maximize their potential. “To just do physio and just treat people is not the full service.  Athletes need to be able to access the full suite of services – not just focus on the cardiovascular system or the musculoskeletal system.”

“Compliance is an issue when it comes to a clinic setting. However, if you approach the individual from a coaching perspective with the treatment and physical therapy the compliance is greater and there is greater accountability.”

Jacob explains what motivated him to make a career change and begin coaching full-time.

Zac shares his epiphany about a sedentary life vs. an active lifestyle that occurred ironically while sitting so long as a graduate student studying about the need for movement to avoid so many of the ailments that plague society today.

From the perspective of a physical therapist and/or exercise scientist and runner, what is the value of zero drop technology? Why zero drop and / or why not?

We are bipedal beings that either outlasted predators or prey. More in Born to Run.

An unrestricted human body can learn to be efficient. A zero drop shoe can help a restricted body get to a more efficient stride and heel strike.

However, the transition from 12mm (standard running shoe heel height) t...