10K Barefoot - La Celle Saint Cloud, "Courses en fête"

So here's the concept - you take an unsuspecting 10K regional race in the suburbs of Paris, and unleash TWO barefoot runners amidst the normally-shod participants, and watch the results...

Surprisingly, we got lots of encouragement from runners, volonteers and by-standers before, during and after the event! Daniel and I were both interviewed by the organiser, and I even chatted with the mayor of Celle Saint Cloud, and his deputy mayor.

The number-one concern was about the risk of injury from debris on the road. Of course, the entire course was tidy, excepting some rough pavement on certain sections... I managed a surprising 49:28, not bad given my age (45) and "handicap" (bare feet) but then again, 10K is my regular barefoot training distance, several times a week.

The usual difficulties descending but pretty much settled into a sustainable rythme and just coasted along as fast as my feet would allow, which is to say, well under my maximum effort rate.

Even managed to get in a word about the French BRS Chapter :)

Christian "Barefooteur"

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Comments

You look so relaxed on the picture. The big guy ahead of you looks like he's about to plant his heel in the ground full force. I feel bad for him. Bravo à tous les deux.
 
sloutre wrote:
You look so relaxed on the picture. The big guy ahead of you looks like he's about to plant his heel in the ground full force. I feel bad for him. Bravo à tous les deux.

Hi sloutre, several people commented on the heel-strking runner, over on FB... Its true that his stride and overall attitude are wince-inducing ;-) Poor guy...

"Runner 59, you have a call on line 2 - its BRS France, and they want to have a little talk about your running future" ...



Thanks for the encouragement, that was a soft tartan track, so I was really relaxed. I get a bit more tense on regular surfaces, but at least I mostly avoided heel-striking during the race. Its the darndest thing, proof how hard it can be for some people to change their running gaits...

Christian "Barefooteur"
 

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