My First Barefoot Half Marathon

Earlier this year I set out to accomplish two running goals: a barefoot half marathon and a barefoot full marathon. I started training on 2/13 with a target of 212.5 miles. 12 weeks later I logged 260 miles (104 barefoot). Here’s how the Indy Mini-Marathon went…

I got to Indy, grabbed my packet, shook hands with Frank Shorter, and ate home-cooked lasagna with friends later that evening.

After setting my alarm for 5:30 AM, I turned in at 10 PM. I woke ahead of my alarm, hit the shower, then the head (3 times), downstairs for a cup of coffee, and out the door with Nat and her mom. We drove downtown, met up with one more person, I hit the head again, and the four of us made our way to our respective starting corrals.

I was grouped by my anticipated finish time, 1:35. Translation, I had about 6,000 people in front of me and 29,000 people behind me.

For my homeless appearance I was given plenty of stares. Lots of pointing and whispers according to Nat & Co. I talked to about five runners who asked similar questions, and all started out with,”You’re running barefoot?” I figured that was pretty obvious, but I answered their questions. I thought one lady was going to pass out. She just stared at me and kept saying, “Oh my God!”

Honestly it was my first barefoot half so it’s not like I was a pro at this. Sure, I’ve logged plenty of barefoot miles along with 5K and 10K races, but not a half at race pace. Not yet.

Following the anthem, I hit the head, again, started my Garmin, and waited with the G crowd for the green light. In the distance I could see that the first wave had started.

I watched on the big screen as the huge mass of runners began crossing the start line. Then my group started. We walked a few blocks, then jogged, and finally we all switched over to a slow run as we, too, crossed the start.

Larger races tend to zap me early because of the constant jockeying for position. This race was no different. Whenever I saw an opening, I sprinted through it. I settled in behind a wall of folks and hit the first mile at 7:43. Not at all what I had hoped, but it’s what I got.

The heat wasn’t too bad. And definitely not as bad as predicted. 70ish and humid, but totally doable. Besides there was plenty of water and Gatorade. Not once in the race did I get thirsty. Props to the organizers.

Miles 2-5 were negative splits. And by mile 5 I was running at 7:14 pace. The heat, combined with my mini bursts of speed began taking their toll. By the time I hit the Brickyard my pace slowed to 7:39 where I hung out for most of the remainder of the race.

Down the tunnel into the Brickyards was the steepest decline and incline. Total lame sauce. Once on the track I had to hug the inside 13 inches because the rest of the pavement was grooved. Running atop the grooves was really uncomfortable. The only time I did was when I needed to pass another runner.

The road outside of the track was the type I feared most. Bumpy and rough. I’ve run this type of road in my training and had some seriously bloody feet as a result on occasion. To keep that from happening (and with 6 miles to go) I ran the grass, the curb, and the white painted line for the .6 miles it lasted.

The miles after the Brickyard flew by. Between the cheering crowds and the bands there was plenty to keep me entertained and motivated.

On occasion a runner would pull up alongside me and ask how I was doing. Surprisingly, my feet were doing great. They didn’t hurt. No pain and plenty of gain.

Near the 12.5 mile mark I heard a DJ say over the loudspeaker that I was the first barefoot runner of the day. Awesome, but was I the only one? At mile 13 I turned it on a little and finished around 7:05 pace.

As I crossed the finish line I raised my hands, smiled, and made a b-line for the water. As I did, I saw a news reporter interviewing someone in Vibrams asking how their race went. I couldn’t help but grin.

Here’s how it all ended. BTW, I’m the shirtless dude in the middle wearing orange Zensah compression sleeves.

And my official results:

Time: 1:39:52
Pace: 7:38
Place: 1152/35000
Age group: 161/2027
Male: 1008/14466

After running the Indy MiniMarathon barefoot, my first of two running goals for the year is in the books.