Ran the 30k in 2:44:53.0, barefooted

On Sunday I ran the 30 kilometer Around the Bay Road Race in Hamilton. It took me 2 hours and 44 minutes, 53 seconds to cover the flat, then rolling 30 k in sunny but windy weather with thousands of other runners and walkers.

It was the first time I ran a road race, and I did it in my Vibram Fivefingers, aka almost barefooted. Along the way and even before the race start I got several compliments on my choice of "shoes." Some could not believe I was going to run the race in those, and some were interested in buying a pair themselves. A bit after 20 kilometers of running, a young runner that I had just passed sped up to catch me and said "that's gotta hurt!" "It doesn't. I love it," I replied.

By 28 kilometers, it did hurt. That was the only time when I thought of not making it to the finish line. But with only 2 more kilometers to go, I knew I was going to make it. The last 1,5 kilometers were euphoric. I wasn't going for a time, really, just thought that I would probably do it in about 2:50. At 20k I saw my time was around 1:44 and realized that I'm doing even better than I expected.