Over the weekend, Andrew Snope of Savannah, Georgia, set a new world record in 24-hour barefoot running. The 28-year-old covered 136.98 miles on an indoor 400-meter track in the in Anchorage, easily besting the old record of 131.43 miles set last year by Peter Wayne of New Zealand.
Snope, as the reports, is a bartender by trade who took up running just three years ago. He was inspired by Christopher McDougall’s book and, true to the book’s minimalist credo, runs only barefoot and in sandals. He claims never to have owned a pair of running shoes.
“It just informs my form,’’ Snope said. “My running is all about efficiency, and that’s why I’m able to run long distances in relatively short periods of time.’’
After running continuously for 24 hours, with only a few bathroom breaks, Snope reportedly had no blisters, cuts, or scrapes on the bottom of his feet.
That doesn’t mean he wasn’t happy to be finished. Said Snope after the race, “To take a shower is ecstasy. To sit down is mind-blowing.’’