The 2026 Boston Walkers Marathon, Gran Canaria
Marathon # 566
Barefoot Marathon # 210
Maspalomas Dunes Marathon # 125
Date: April 20, 2026
My Time: 8:05:38
By Dr. Barefoot Sidy Diallo
“Runners welcome. Walkers tolerated.”
On the day of the 2026 Boston Marathon, I walked barefoot my 566th marathon and dedicated the race to all walkers around the world in reaction to the Nike’s ad at its store on Boston’s Newbury Street ahead of the city’s celebrated marathon, which declared: “Runners welcome. Walkers tolerated.”
Folks, we all walk every day, don’t you? And some of us run occasionally or regularly. And here's a simple question: how do staff and customers enter Nike stores, move around inside, and get out? Running or walking?
Furthermore, the marathon isn’t something that the Boston Brahmins invented, it’s simply our way—as individuals of a hunter-gatherer species—of practicing persistence hunting in the 21st century. It’s therefore nothing special. In other words, the overrated Boston Marathon is like any other marathon: an instinctive foray into the Stone Age.
The fact that the marathon is a Stone Age moment means that barefoot is the authentic way to run or walk a marathon. Early humans invented long-distance running 3 million years ago, while sneakers are a recent invention. Finally, wearing so-called fast or flying shoes for speed boost is obviously tantamount to cheating. My take is that there’s no such a thing as fast shoes or flying shoes, but I respect any different opinion.
I’ve run the Boston Marathon three times: wearing sneakers in 2012 and 2014, and authentically, i.e. barefoot, in 2022.
My book 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 # 210
Maspalomas Dunes Marathon # 125
Date: April 20, 2026
My Time: 8:05:38
By Dr. Barefoot Sidy Diallo
“Runners welcome. Walkers tolerated.”
On the day of the 2026 Boston Marathon, I walked barefoot my 566th marathon and dedicated the race to all walkers around the world in reaction to the Nike’s ad at its store on Boston’s Newbury Street ahead of the city’s celebrated marathon, which declared: “Runners welcome. Walkers tolerated.”
Folks, we all walk every day, don’t you? And some of us run occasionally or regularly. And here's a simple question: how do staff and customers enter Nike stores, move around inside, and get out? Running or walking?
Furthermore, the marathon isn’t something that the Boston Brahmins invented, it’s simply our way—as individuals of a hunter-gatherer species—of practicing persistence hunting in the 21st century. It’s therefore nothing special. In other words, the overrated Boston Marathon is like any other marathon: an instinctive foray into the Stone Age.
The fact that the marathon is a Stone Age moment means that barefoot is the authentic way to run or walk a marathon. Early humans invented long-distance running 3 million years ago, while sneakers are a recent invention. Finally, wearing so-called fast or flying shoes for speed boost is obviously tantamount to cheating. My take is that there’s no such a thing as fast shoes or flying shoes, but I respect any different opinion.
I’ve run the Boston Marathon three times: wearing sneakers in 2012 and 2014, and authentically, i.e. barefoot, in 2022.
My book Running Barefoot for Human Survival is available on Amazon in paperback and e-book format (French edition: Courir pieds nus pour sauver les humains).
A Nike advertisement in its Newbury Street store in Boston, in the lead-up to the 2026 Boston Marathon, read: "Runners welcome. Walkers tolerated."
Dr. Barefoot Sidy Diallo completed the 2026 Boston Walkers Marathon in the tropical paradise setting of the 6 km Maspalomas/Playa del Inglés Beach in Gran Canaria, Spain.
Dr. Barefoot Sidy Diallo's 2026 Walkers Boston Marathon Garmin Data