The 2012 San Francisco Marathon
Marathon # 14
Date: July 27, 2012
My Time: 3:39:43
Update: August 17, 2022
By Dr. Barefoot Sidy Diallo
“No more than two marathons a year,” really?
I did ten years ago in the Bay Area my 14th marathon less than two years after my first marathon, when many people keep dishonestly or ignorantly claiming, or gullibly believing that the human body can’t sustain more than two marathons in a year. Here’s the kind “expertise” people hear or read:
“Running more than two marathons a year is pretty hard on the body and mind, increases your risk for injury. Two per year allows for a full training and recovery cycle to optimize performance and reduce injuries.” Alleluia!
Well, despite my relatively old age (57) and short running experience, I ran 12 marathons in 2012 and qualified for the Boston Marathon in seven of them, with finishing times up to over 25 minutes faster (3:14:13 in Berlin) than my Boston Marathon qualifying standard (3:40:00).
I went one step further in 2018: I ran 15 barefoot marathons in 14 weeks (September 9 to December 16), pain and injury-free, and qualified for the Boston Marathon in five of them, with finishing times up to over 27 minutes faster (3:37:42 in Montréal) than my Boston Marathon qualifying standard (3:55:00).
The sound and helpful conclusion is that if I managed to do it, all humans can do it, except sadly those who can no longer run because of the comorbidities a healthy lifestyle can prevent.
As I explain in my book Running Barefoot for Human Survival, the human body is designed for barefoot long-distance running, which means that doing multiple marathons—barefoot or not—is not a performance, but just doing what we should do to stay physically and mentally fit and healthy, enjoy a better life quality, save money (on healthcare, food, diets, legal and illegal drugs, etc.), and stop and reverse air pollution and global warming.
Running Barefoot for Human Survival is available on Amazon in paperback and e-book format (French edition: Courir pieds nus pour sauver les humains).
Date: July 27, 2012
My Time: 3:39:43
Update: August 17, 2022
By Dr. Barefoot Sidy Diallo
“No more than two marathons a year,” really?
I did ten years ago in the Bay Area my 14th marathon less than two years after my first marathon, when many people keep dishonestly or ignorantly claiming, or gullibly believing that the human body can’t sustain more than two marathons in a year. Here’s the kind “expertise” people hear or read:
“Running more than two marathons a year is pretty hard on the body and mind, increases your risk for injury. Two per year allows for a full training and recovery cycle to optimize performance and reduce injuries.” Alleluia!
Well, despite my relatively old age (57) and short running experience, I ran 12 marathons in 2012 and qualified for the Boston Marathon in seven of them, with finishing times up to over 25 minutes faster (3:14:13 in Berlin) than my Boston Marathon qualifying standard (3:40:00).
I went one step further in 2018: I ran 15 barefoot marathons in 14 weeks (September 9 to December 16), pain and injury-free, and qualified for the Boston Marathon in five of them, with finishing times up to over 27 minutes faster (3:37:42 in Montréal) than my Boston Marathon qualifying standard (3:55:00).
The sound and helpful conclusion is that if I managed to do it, all humans can do it, except sadly those who can no longer run because of the comorbidities a healthy lifestyle can prevent.
As I explain in my book Running Barefoot for Human Survival, the human body is designed for barefoot long-distance running, which means that doing multiple marathons—barefoot or not—is not a performance, but just doing what we should do to stay physically and mentally fit and healthy, enjoy a better life quality, save money (on healthcare, food, diets, legal and illegal drugs, etc.), and stop and reverse air pollution and global warming.
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's 2012 San Francisco Marathon certificate
Dr. Sidy Diallo did in San Francisco, California, his 14th marathon.
Dr. Sidy Diallo on a vintage trolleybus in San Francisco
Dr. Sidy Diallo souvenir of Alcatraz