"There has to be one best way of running. It's got to be like a law of physics." Alberto Salazar, U.S. Olympian, 3-time New York City Marathon Champ, current head of Nike elite project.

Wow. In this remarkable interview, one of America's top distance-running minds slashes right to the heart of the debate about form vs. footwear. In his mind, there's no debate at all:

There has to be one best way of running. It's got to be like a law of physics. And if you deviate too much from that–the way I did in my career–it can be a big handicap. Dathan can't be a heel striker and expect to run as good as the best forefoot runners. You can be efficient for a while with bad form–maybe...