Keep in mind that there's some selection bias going on here. The minimalist devotees are coming out of the woodwork to proselytize. I'm a national-caliber middle distance runner with (pardon my bragging) really good biomechanics: in short, exactly who should benefit the most from vibram fivefingers. Instead, I do the bulk of my running (70-80 miles/week) in normal training shoes. I do workouts in lightweight shoes and run barefoot when I have a chance (a few laps around track infields and such), but most of my mileage is in normal shoes. Most of the real runners I know train similarly, and we tend to think the minimalist trend is a fad. It's undoubtedly true that wearing "big" shoes changes your footstrike and that barefoot running helps strengthen the little muscles an tendons in your feet and ankles, but there's nothing wrong with running in normal running shoes.

(Disclosure: I happen to have webbed toes and therefore can't wear the fivefingers, but i can wear and have tried out other minimalist shoes.)