12/08/2026
I am so stoked that I did it!
Leading up to the race my training consisted of long runs and speedy runs in my and barefoot, sprint training barefoot, strength training and of course foot and balance training.
3 weeks out I had pushed it too hard (increased my distance and started trampoline classes and ninja warrior style training that had a lot of jumps in it, a combination that ultimately overloaded my tibialis posterior) I started to get a bit of shin pain and decided to take a week off to let it heal before continuing. Just as I was ready to get back to my training I got one of those nasty flus everyone’s getting at the moment. It knocked me down for two weeks.
I did one sprint session a week before the race (I still wasn’t feeling great but I had fomo).
Race day came and I decided I wasn’t going to do it barefoot. My breathing still wasn’t amazing, it was raining and I just wanted to finish it the best I could given the circumstances.
I was uncomfortable from the start of the race but focused on the positives- no shin pain at all, I was able to breathe through my nose most of the way and the sun was starting to come through. I was in a crowd of amazing people doing a really cool thing, all for their own reasons and I got to be a part of that!
My knees started achey at 16km and didn’t let go but it wasn’t slowing me down so I just kept going.
I was relieved and proud of myself for crossing the finish line at 1:58 with no foot pain at all, they did their job perfectly!
I would love to run another one barefoot but for now I am super happy that I did one in my Vibrams, shoes that allowed my feet to do the work, didn’t prevent my body from receiving information from the ground and didn’t create compensatory patterns up the chain.
If you’re not already, I can’t recommend running barefoot or in barefoot shoes enough- seeing what your body is truely capable of and knowing that you’re not compromising your health is so worth it!
