The 2021 Paris Marathon
Marathon # 307
Barefoot Marathon # 98
Date: October 17, 2021
My Time: 4:19:06
By Dr. Barefoot Sidy Diallo
Going the Opposite of Abebe Bikila’s Way
Barefoot running is a human tradition, not a legend. Shod runners are indeed the actual Bikilas. Some people call me Bikila when they see me running barefoot, which I take as a compliment, but it’s not, because I’m going quite the opposite of Bikila’s way. Many people know that Abebe Bikila ran barefoot the 1960 Olympic Marathon, he won the race and broke the world record. But how many people know about what happened to Bikila afterwards?
Wikipedia explains what many don’t want you know, for obvious reasons: “In the 1961 Athens Classical Marathon, Abebe again won while running barefoot. This was the second and last event in which he competed barefooted. He was approached by a shoe company, with the possibility of wearing its shoes. Abebe had a secret sponsorship deal, in spite of the now-abandoned rules against such deals. Abebe ran the 1963 Boston Marathon and finished fifth. In July 1967, he sustained the first of several sports-related leg injuries that prevented him from finishing his last two marathons. On the night of March 22, 1969, Abebe lost control of his car and it overturned, trapping him inside. According to biographer Tim Judah, he may have been drinking...”
So we know that Bikila switched from traditional barefoot running to secretly sponsored shod running, which untimely terminated his career as a runner, while I’ve switched from shod running to barefoot running, and I’ve so far run not just two, but 98 barefoot marathons and a barefoot ultramarathon (90 km), which means that shod runners are indeed the actual Bikilas.
As I thoroughly explain in my book Running Barefoot for Human Survival, barefoot running is tradition, not legend, because the human body is designed for barefoot running, hence my mantra: No shoes, no problems!
I started running barefoot at 60, which means there is no excuse. In other words, contrary to what some bipedal primates stupidly write on social media, I’ve never been running after animals in the African Savannah. On the other hand, the marathon is just the new form of persistence hunting, which explains why some finishers instinctively bite the metallic medals—as if they were actual animals—and proudly take selfies, which usually generate a lot of likes.
French newspaper Le Parisien: “At 67, Sidy Diallo ran the 307th marathon of his life ... and still barefoot.”
Running Barefoot for Human Survival is available on Amazon in paperback and e-book format (French edition: Courir pieds nus pour sauver les humains).
Barefoot Marathon # 98
Date: October 17, 2021
My Time: 4:19:06
By Dr. Barefoot Sidy Diallo
Going the Opposite of Abebe Bikila’s Way
Barefoot running is a human tradition, not a legend. Shod runners are indeed the actual Bikilas. Some people call me Bikila when they see me running barefoot, which I take as a compliment, but it’s not, because I’m going quite the opposite of Bikila’s way. Many people know that Abebe Bikila ran barefoot the 1960 Olympic Marathon, he won the race and broke the world record. But how many people know about what happened to Bikila afterwards?
Wikipedia explains what many don’t want you know, for obvious reasons: “In the 1961 Athens Classical Marathon, Abebe again won while running barefoot. This was the second and last event in which he competed barefooted. He was approached by a shoe company, with the possibility of wearing its shoes. Abebe had a secret sponsorship deal, in spite of the now-abandoned rules against such deals. Abebe ran the 1963 Boston Marathon and finished fifth. In July 1967, he sustained the first of several sports-related leg injuries that prevented him from finishing his last two marathons. On the night of March 22, 1969, Abebe lost control of his car and it overturned, trapping him inside. According to biographer Tim Judah, he may have been drinking...”
So we know that Bikila switched from traditional barefoot running to secretly sponsored shod running, which untimely terminated his career as a runner, while I’ve switched from shod running to barefoot running, and I’ve so far run not just two, but 98 barefoot marathons and a barefoot ultramarathon (90 km), which means that shod runners are indeed the actual Bikilas.
As I thoroughly explain in my book Running Barefoot for Human Survival, barefoot running is tradition, not legend, because the human body is designed for barefoot running, hence my mantra: No shoes, no problems!
I started running barefoot at 60, which means there is no excuse. In other words, contrary to what some bipedal primates stupidly write on social media, I’ve never been running after animals in the African Savannah. On the other hand, the marathon is just the new form of persistence hunting, which explains why some finishers instinctively bite the metallic medals—as if they were actual animals—and proudly take selfies, which usually generate a lot of likes.
French newspaper Le Parisien: “At 67, Sidy Diallo ran the 307th marathon of his life ... and still barefoot.”
Running Barefoot for Human Survival is available on Amazon in paperback and e-book format (French edition: Courir pieds nus pour sauver les humains).
Dr. Sidy Diallo ran barefoot the 2021 Paris Marathon
Dr. Sidy Diallo’s 2021 Paris Marathon Certificate
Dr. Sidy Diallo completed barefoot the 2021 Paris Marathon
Dr. Sidy Diallo’s 2021 Paris Marathon Results and Course