Humans Are Perfect Barefoot Runners

The human body is not designed for our lifestyle: We’re born to run barefoot to be happy and healthy and boost our immune systems, i.e. our best defense against pandemics, including COVID-19.

“Running Barefoot for Human Survival”

This book is about my experience of the transition from sedentary lifestyle to barefoot running, my understanding of the vital importance of long-distance running for humans and why the COVID-19 pandemic is a wake-up call to act before it’s too late. Find out more.

Patience and perseverance are all what the human body needs to readapt to natural locomotion, since this was the way humans efficiently walked and ran for three million years. So in June 2015 I started to walk and run barefoot as much as I can, therefore following in the footsteps of our ancestors and avoiding—most of the time—unreasonable pain to minimize the risk of serious injury during the process of readaptation.

By doing so, it took me exactly three years to make it from zero to running barefoot on asphalt the 90.2 km of the 2018 Comrades Marathon, in South Africa, just 7 days after running in Germany my fastest barefoot marathon in a time of 3:37:31 at the age of 63. What’s more, I completed both races pain and injury free, which shows that we all can readapt to barefoot running, regardless of age or any other consideration. The explanation is in the biology we inherited from our ancestors.

I've run barefoot so far 89 marathons on six of the seven continents as well as the 90.2 km of the 2018 Comrades Marathon in South Africa

1. 2015-10-11 Zagreb Marathon: 3:57:13
2. 2015-10-26 Dublin Marathon: 4:59:12
3. 2015-11-08 French Riviera Marathon: 4:44:58
4. 2016-02-28  Malta Marathon: 4:27:16
5. 2016-04-03 Marathon de Paris: 4:27:49
6. 2016-04-17 Marathon de Nantes: 4:30:44
7. 2016-05-08 Geneva Marathon: 5:06:05
8. 2016-11-19 Suriname Marathon: 3:52:39
9. 2016-11-27 Curaçao Marathon: 4:15:24
10. 2017-03-19 Marathon de l'espace, French Guiana: 5:58:03

11. 2017-04-09 Rotterdam Marathon : 4:07:22
12. 2017-08-02 Hwange Marathon, Zimbawe: 5:45:20
13. 2017-08-03 Chobe Marathon, Botswana: 6:42:59
14. 2017-08-04 Impalila Island Marathon, Namibia: 6:48:08
15. 2017-08-05 Zambezi Waterfront Marathon, Zambia: 7:44:05 
16. 2017-10-01 Marathon de Lyon: 4:17:14
17. 2017-10-08 Marathon de Metz: 4:40:44
18. 2017-10-15 Amsterdam Marathon: 5:02:59
19. 2017-11-18 Suriname Marathon: 4:17:10
20. 2018-01-21 Trinidad & Tobago Marathon: 4:15:42

21. 2018-04-08 Paris Marathon: 3:54:17
22. 2018-04-15 Bonn Marathon: 3:47:30
23. 2018-04-22 Antwerp Marathon: 3:54:45
24. 2018-06-03 Rhein-Ruhr Marathon: 3:37:31 (my barefoot PR)
25. 2018-06-10 Comrades Marathon (90.2 km): 11:13:04
26. 2018-08-11 10th Gay Games Marathon: 5:07:40
27. 2018-08-18 Azeri Marathon: 3:56:10
28. 2018-08-20 Capital City Marathon: 4:10:28
29. 2018-09-09 Vilnius Marathon: 3:54:42
30. 2018-09-16 Seine-Marathon 76: 3:54:42

31. 2018-09-23 Marathon de Montréal: 3:37:42
32. 2018-09-30 Chisinau Marathon: 3:40:15
33. 2018-10-07 Lyon Marathon: 4:39:49
34. 2018-10-14 Metz Marathon: 4:37:27
35. 2018-10-21 Toulouse Marathon: 4:22:30
36. 2018-10-28 Rennes Marathon: 3:56:31
37. 2018-11-04 Nice-Cannes Marathon: 4:18:55
38. 2018-11-11 Istanbul Marathon: 3:57:36
39. 2018-11-18 Bangkok Marathon: 4:23:49
40. 2018-11-25 Panama Marathon: 4:28:18

41. 2018-12-02 Costa Rica Marathon: 4:11:52
42. 2018-12-09 Malaga Marathon: 3:57:48
43. 2018-12-16 Pisa Marathon: 3:44:02
44. 2019-01-11: Doha Marathon: 3:52:02
45. 2019-01-25: Dubai Marathon, UAE: 3:58:48
46. 2019-02-17: Seville Marathon, Spain: 4:10:21
47. 2019-02-24: Seychelles Marathon: 5:18:28
48. 2019-03-09: Costa Magica Marathon, Caribbean Sea: 5:13:45
49. 2019-03-24: Marseille Marathon, France: 4:31:57
50. 2019-04-07: Bratislava Marathon, Slovakia: 3:55:19

51. 2019-04-14: Paris Marathon, France: 4:07:03
52. 2019-04-28: Nantes Marathon, France: 4:31:50
53. 2019-05-05: Prague Marathon, Czechia: 4:23:06
54. 2019-05-12: Loire Marathon, France: 5:03:54
55. 2019-05-19: Lima Marathon, Peru: 4:37:36
56. 2019-06-16: Liberty Marathon, France: 4:49:27
57. 2019-08-25: Asuncion Marathon, Paraguay: 3:53:05
58. 2019-09-08: Kobklenz Marathon, Germany: 4:32:12
59. 2019-09-22: Buenos Aires Marathon, Argentina: 4:30:46
60. 2019-09-29: Budapest Marathon, Hungary: 4:15:33

61. 2019-10-06: Brussels Marathon, Belgium: 4:46:29
62. 2019-10-13: Chicago Marathon, USA: 3:57:23
63. 2019-10-20: Auckland Marathon, New Zealand: 4:28:52
64. 2019-10-27: Lausanne Marathon, Switzerland: 4:22:26
65. 2019-11-03: New York Marathon, USA: 4:40:13
66. 2019-12-01: Valencia Marathon, Spain: 4:32:58
67. 2019-12-08: Reggae Marathon, Jamaica: 4:54:52
68. 2019-12-15: Malaga Marathon, Spain: 4:16:53
69. 2020.01.21 Muscat Lonely Marathon, Oman: 5:19:28
70. 2020.02.09 Miami Marathon, USA: 4:24:10

71. 2020.03.01 Malta Marathon, Malta:3:58:10
72. 2020.03.08 Los Angeles Marathon, USA: 4:25:46
73. 2020.03.15 Little Barcelona Marathon, France: 5:02:08
74.2020.04.20 Freedom Boston Marathon, France: 14:53:00
75. 2020.06.18 Liberation Marathon # 17, France: 4:45:06
76. 2020.06.26 Liberation Marathon # 20, France: 4:39:37
77. 2020.07.04 Liberation Marathon # 24, France: 5:25:44
78. 2020.07.16 Liberation Marathon # 28, France: 4:38:54
79. 2020.07.19 Liberation Marathon # 29, France: 4:27:30
80. 2020.07.22 Liberation Marathon # 30, France: 4:24:46

81. 2020.07.26 Liberation Marathon # 31, France: 4:44:01
82. 2020.08.02 Liberation Marathon # 33, France: 4:22:53
83. 2020.08.17 Liberation Marathon # 37, France: 4:40:33
84. 2020.08.20 Liberation Marathon # 38, France: 4:54:02
85. 2020.08.23 Liberation Marathon # 39, France: 4:52:42
86. 2020.09.02 Liberation Marathon # 42, France: 5:11:56
87. 2020.09:05 Liberation Marathon # 43, France: 4:55:13
88. 2020.09.22 Liberation Marathon # 49, France: 4:49:29
89. 2020.10.23 Liberation Marathon # 57, France: 4:40:33
90. 2021.02:24 Absurdistan Marathon # 12, Absurdistan: 5:15:40