RUNNING HUMAN: The author and barefoot runner, Doctor Sidy Diallo spells out how and why running can keep you efficiently and durably fit and healthy for free.
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    • Courir pieds nus pour sauver les humains
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    • Ancestral Cryophobia is Back
    • The Running Pioneers and the Cheaters
    • Correr descalzos por la supervivencia humana
    • El Dr Sidy Diallo
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    • 6 885 km et 452 577 kcal en 2 ans
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    • El cuerpo humano no está diseñado para nuestro estilo de vida
    • Overcoming Nelophobia
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    • 41 millions de décès évitables par an
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  • 2023
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    • Le marathon pour l’autonomie des seniors
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  • Running 2.0
    • Dr. Diallo’s Marathons 2.0
    • Fifteen Weekly Barefoot Marathons
    • 8 Barefoot Marathons in 8 Weeks
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    • Countries
    • 2022 >
      • 2022 SQY Saint Sylvester Marathon
      • 2022 Tilia Residences Marathon
      • 2022 HCMC International Marathon
      • 2022 Empire City Marathon
      • 2022 Panama Marathon
      • 2022 KL Marathon
      • 2022 French Riviera Marathon
      • 2022 Tirana Marathon
      • 2022 Vannes Marathon
      • 2022 Skopje Marathon
      • 2022 Pristina Marathon
      • 2022 Oslo Marathon
      • 2022.08.20 Chambord Marathon
      • 2022.06.19 Rio de Janeiro Marathon
      • 2022.06.04 Stockholm Marathon
      • 2022.05.29 Edinburgh Marathon
      • 2022.05:21 Royan Marathon
      • 2022.05:15 Route du Louvre Marathon
      • 2022.05:08 Barcelona Marathon
      • 2022.04.18 Boston Marathon
      • 2022.04.03 Paris Marathon
      • My 67th Birthday Barefoot Marathon
      • 2022.03.19 Paris EcoTrail
      • 2022.01.15 The O’Mycron Marathon
    • Old Ultras >
      • 11-2017-06-04 Comrades Marathon (87 km)
      • 10-2016-05-29 Comrades Marathon (89 km)
      • 9-2016-03-19 Eco Trail de Paris (80 km / 5O Miles)
      • 8. 2015 Two Oceans Ultra 56km (Cape Town, South Africa/Afrique du Sud)
      • 7. 2015 White Continent Ultramarathon (King George Island, Antarctica)
      • 6. 2015 Punta Arenas Ultramarathon (Chile, South America)
      • 5. 2015 Kathmandu Ultra 50 km (Nepal, Asia)
      • 4. 2014 Chicago Lakefront 50k (North America)
      • 3. 2014 Bush Capital Bush Ultramathon (63.3 K, Oceania)
      • 2. 2014 Trail du Golfe du Morbihan (56k, France)
      • 1. 2014 Royal Raid 80 km (50 miles), Ile Maurice / Mauritius (Africa)
    • 2021 >
      • 2021.12.31 Marathon Against Pandemics
      • The 2021 Absurdistan Running Series (ARS)
      • 2021.12.19 The Human Misery Marathon
      • 2021.11.28 Mexico City Marathon
      • 2021.11.26 Chapultepec Marathon
      • 2021.11.14 Athens Marathon
      • 2021.11.07 Podgorica Marathon
      • 2021.10.31 Bucharest Marathon
      • 2021.10.24 Ljubljana Marathon
      • 2021.10.17 Paris Marathon
      • 2021.10.10 Sofia Marathon
      • 2021.10.03 London Marathon
      • 2021.09.26 Berlin Marathon
      • 2021.09.19 Rome Marathon
      • 2021.09.12 Vienna Marathon
      • 2021.09.05 Run in Paradise Marathon
      • 2021.08.29 Chantilly Castle Marathon
      • 2021.08.24 The COVID Big Screen Marathon
      • 2021.08.10 Marathon # 295
      • The 2021 Lac d’Orient Marathon
      • The 2021 Eco Trail de Paris (80 km)
      • The 2021 Palace of Versailles Marathon
      • The 2021 Divi Tree Marathon
      • The 2021 Aruba Marathon
      • My other Races in 2021
    • 2020 >
      • 48 Marathons and Ultramarathons in 4 Months (May 11—September 11, 2020)
      • 3.2020.03.08 Los Angeles Marathon - USA
      • 2.2020-03.01 Malta Marathon - Malta
      • 1.2020-02.09 Miami Marathon - USA
      • My 2020 Non-official Marathons >
        • 2020.10.29 My Liberation Marathon # 60
        • Three Liberation Marathons
        • 2020.10.19 SQY Park Marathon/My Liberation Marathon # 56
        • 2020.10.17 Virtual New York Marathon Against Pandemics/My Liberation Marathon # 55
        • Liberation Marathon # 54
        • 2020.10.10 Tenth Anniversary Celebration Marathon/My Liberation Marathon # 53
        • 2020.10.08 SQY to Health Ministry Marathon Against the COVID-19 Marathon/My LM # 52
        • 2020.10.03 Yvelines-Paris Race Against the COVID-19/My LUM # 3 (50.52 km)
        • 2020.09.28 Montigny to Paris Bercy Marathon/LM # 51
        • Liberation Marathon # 48
        • 2020 Liberation Marathons # 41 to 50
        • 2020.08.29 Liberation Marathon # 41
        • 2020 Liberation Marathons # 31 to 40
        • Liberation Marathons # 28 to 30 >
          • 2020.07.12 Liberation Marathon # 27
          • 2020.07.08 Liberation Marathon # 26
          • 2020.07.05 Liberation Marathon # 25
          • 2020.07.04 Liberation Marathon # 24
          • 2020.06.30 Liberation Marathon # 23
          • 2020.06.29 Liberation Marathon # 22
          • 2020.06.28 Liberation Marathon # 21
        • 2020 Liberation Marathons # 11 to 20 and Ultramarathon # 2 >
          • 2020.06.26 Liberation Marathon # 20
          • 2020.06.23 Liberation Marathon # 19
          • 2020.06.20 Liberation Marathon # 18
          • 2020.06.18 Liberation Marathon # 17 - Honoring the 2020 Royan Marathon
          • 2020.06.15 Liberation Marathon # 16 - Honoring the 2020 Edinburgh Marathon
          • 2020.06.14 Race the Comrades Legends (90 km) – Liberation Ultramarathon # 2
          • 2020.06.10 Liberation Marathon # 15 - Honoring the 2020 Salzburg Marathon
          • 2020.06.09 Liberation Marathon # 14 - Honoring the 2020 Skopje Marathon
          • 2020.06.07 Liberation Marathon # 13 - Honoring the 2020 Belfast Marathon
          • 2020.06.05 Liberation Marathon # 12 - Honoring the 2020 Belgrade Marathon
          • 2020.06.03 Liberation Marathon # 11 - Honoring the 2020 Boston Marathon
        • 2020 Liberation Marathons # 1 to 10 and Ultramarathon # 1 >
          • 2020.06.01 Liberation Marathon # 10 - Honoring the 2020 Marseille Marathon
          • 2020.05.30 Liberation Ultramarathon # 1 (60 km)
          • 2020.05.28 Liberation Marathon # 9 - Honoring the 2020 Paris Marathon
          • 2020.05.24 Liberation Marathon # 8 - Honoring the 2020 Rome Marathon
          • 2020.05.23 Liberation Marathon # 7—Honoring the 2020 Seoul Marathon
          • 2020.05.21 Liberation Marathon # 6 - Honoring the 2020 Barcelona Marathon
          • 2020.05.17 Liberation Marathon # 5 - Honoring the 2020 Tokyo Marathon
          • 2020.05.16 Liberation Marathon # 4
          • 2020.05.14 Liberation Marathon # 3
          • 2020.05.13 Liberation Marathon # 2
          • Liberation Marathon # 1
        • The 2020 Freedom Boston Marathon Against Pandemics
        • 0.2020.03.15 2020 Little Barcelona Lonely Barefoot Marathon
        • 0.2020-01.21 Muscat Lonely Marathon - Oman
    • 2019 >
      • Seven Marathons in Seven Days in 2019
      • 32.2019.12.15 Malaga Marathon - Spain
      • 31.2019.12.08 Reggae Marathon - Jamaica
      • 30.2019.12.01 Valencia Marathon - Spain
      • 2019 Ivory Coast Marathon
      • 29.2019.11.03 New York Marathon - USA
      • 2019.11.02 New York Dash to the Finish Line 5K - USA
      • 28.2019.10.27 Lausanne Marathon - Switzerland
      • 27.2019.10.20 Auckland Marathon - New Zealand
      • 26.2019.10.13 Chicago Marathon - USA
      • 25.2019.10.06 Brusssels Marathon - Belgium
      • 24.2019.09.29 Budapest Marathon - Hungary
      • 23.2019.09.22 Buenos Aires Marathon - Argentina
      • 22.2019.09.08 Koblenz Marathon - Germany
      • 21.2019.08.25 Asuncion Marathon - Paraguay
      • 20.2019.06.16 Liberty Marathon - France
      • 19.2019.05.19 Lima Marathon - Peru
      • 18.2019.05.12 Marathon de la Loire - France
      • 17.2019.05.05 Prague Marathon - Czechia
      • 16.2019.04.28 Nantes Marathon - France
      • 15.2019.04.14 Paris Marathon - France
      • 14.2019.04.07 Bratislava Marathon - Slovaquia
      • 13.2019.03.31 Montauban Marathon - France
      • 12.2019.03.24 Marseille Marathon - France
      • 2019.03.16 Eco Trail de Paris (80 km) - France
      • 11.2019.03.14 Fonds Blancs Marathon - Fort-de-France, Martinique
      • 10.2019.03.13 Volcanic Sand Marathon - Saint Vincent
      • 2019.03.12 Dominica Marathon
      • 8.2019.03.11 Quartier d’Orleans Marathon - Saint Martin
      • 7.2019.03..10 BVI Marathon - British Virgin Islands
      • 6.2019.03.09 Costa Magica Marathon - Caribbean Sea
      • 5.2019.03.08 Butterfly Island Marathon - Le Gosier, Guadeloupe
      • 4.2019.02.24 Seychelles Marathon
      • 3.2019.02.17 Seville Marathon - Spain
      • 2.2019.01.25 Dubai Marathon - UAE
      • 1.2019.01.11 Doha Marathon - Qatar
      • 2019.02.09 Chinese New Year Hash - Paris
    • 2018 >
      • 24.2018.12.16 Pisa Marathon - Italy
      • 23.2018.12.09 Malaga Marathon - Spain
      • 22.2018.12.02 Costa Rica Marathon
      • 21.2018.11.25 Panama Marathon
      • 20.2018.11.18 Bangkok Marathon - Thailand
      • 19.2018.11.11 Istanbul Marathon - Turkey
      • 18.2018.11.04 French Riviera Marathon
      • 17.2018.10.28 Rennes Marathon - France
      • 16.2018.10.21 Toulouse Marathon - France
      • 15.2018.10.14 Metz Marathon - France
      • 14.2018.10.07 Lyon Marathon - France
      • 13.2018.30.09 Chisinau Marathon - Moldova
      • 12.2018.23.09 Marathon de Montreal
      • 11.2018.15.09 Seine-Marathon 76 - France
      • 10.2018.09.09 Vilnius Marathon - Lithuania
      • 9.2018-08-20 Capital City Marathon - Georgia
      • 8.2018-08-19 Bagrateshen Marathon - Armenia
      • 7.2018-08-18 Azeri Marathon and Half Marathon - Azerbaidjan
      • 6.2018-08-11 10th Gay Games Marathon
      • 2018 La Course royale au Château de Versailles
      • 12-2018-06-10 Comrades Marathon (90.2 km)
      • 5.2018-06-03 Rhein-Ruhr Marathon
      • 4.2018-04-22 Antwerp Marathon
      • 3.2018-04-15 Bonn Marathon
      • 2.2018-04-08 Paris Marathon
      • 1.2018-01-21 Trinidad & Tobago Marathon - & 5k
    • 2017 >
      • 13. 2017-11-18 Suriname Marathon
      • 12. 2017-10-15 Amaterdam Marathon
      • 11. 2017-10-08 Metz Marathon
      • 10. 2017-10-01 Lyon Marathon
      • 9. 2017-08-05 Zambezi Waterfront Marathon
      • 8. 2017-08-04 Impalila Island Marathon
      • 7. 2017-08-03 Chobe Marathon
      • 6. 2017-08-02 Hwange Marathon
      • 5. 2017-07-31 Sand River Marathon
      • 4. 2017-07-3O Maseru Bridge Marathon
      • 3. 2017-07-29 Ladybrand Boarder Marathon
      • 2. 2017-04-09 Rotterdam Marathon
      • 1. 2017-03-19 Marathon de l'espace (Kourou, French Guiana)
    • 2016 >
      • 20. 2016-11-27 Curaçao Marathon
      • 19. 2016-11-19 Suriname Marathon
      • 18. 2016-07-16 Andorra Marathon
      • 17. 2016-06-26 Marathon du Terroir brayon
      • 16. 2016-06-12 Marathon de Marne & Gondoire
      • 15. 2016-05-08 Geneva Marathon / Marathon de Genève
      • 14. 2016-04-17 Marathon de Nantes
      • 13. 2016-04-10 Pyongyang Marathon
      • 12. 2016-04-03 Marathon de Paris
      • 11. 2016-03-27 Sri Chinmoy Marathon de Paris
      • 10. 2016-02-28 Malta Marathon
      • 9. 2016 Marathon de Dakar
      • 8. 2016-02-06: Philipsburg Waterfront Marathon (Sint Maarten/St Martin)
      • 7. 2016-02-05: St Kitts Waterfall Marathon, Basseterre (Saint Kitts and Nevis)
      • 6. 2016-02-04: Pitons Peak Marathon, Castries (Saint Lucia)
      • 5. 2016-02-03: Carlisle Bay Marathon, Bridgetown (Barbados)
      • 4. 2016-02-02: Carnival Cruise Marathon (Caribbean Sea / Mer des Caraïbes)
      • 3. 2016-02-01: St Thomas Cove Marathon (US Virgin Islands)
      • 2. 2016-01-31: San Juan Harbor Marathon (Puerto Rico)
      • 1. 2016 marathon de Cerny-La-Ville
    • 2015 >
      • 22. 2015 Marathon du beajolais
      • 21. 2015 Marathon des Alpes-Maritimes / 2015 French Riviera Marathon
      • 20. 2015 Dublin Marathon
      • 19. 2015 Zagreb Marathon
      • 18. 2015 Bucharest Marathon/Le Marathon de Bucarest
      • 17. 2015 Warsaw Marathon/Le Marathon de Varsovie
      • 16. 2015 Moscow Marathon
      • 15. 2015 Tallinn Marathon, Estonia
      • 14. 2015 Saint Petersburg Marathon, Russia
      • 13. 2015 Vignoble d'Alsace Marathon
      • 12. 2015 Marne & Gondoire
      • 11. 2015 Copenhagen Marathon
      • 10. 2015 Prague Marathon
      • 9. 2015 Albi Marathon
      • 8. 2015 Paris Marathon
      • 7. 2015 Limassol Marathon (Cyprus/Chypre)
      • 6. 2015 Rome Marathon
      • 5. 2015 Marathon Sri Chinmoy de Paris
      • 4. 2015 Southern Cross Marathon, Punta Arenas
      • 3. 2015 Torcy International Marathon
      • 2. 2015 Bahamas Marathon
      • 1. 2015 Walt Disney World Marathon, Floride
    • 2014 >
      • 2014 Peter Wieneke Geburstags Marathon
      • 30. 2014 Marathon de Pise / Pisa Marathon
      • 29. 2014 Marathon de Reggio Emilia / Reggio Emilia Marathon
      • 28. 2014 Maratón de Málaga
      • 27. 2014 Marathon de la Rochelle / 2014 La Rochelle Marathon
      • 26. 2014 Marathon du Beaujolais / 2014 Beaujolais Marathon
      • 25. 2014 Marathon de La Havane / 2014 Havana Marathon
      • 24. 2014 Marathon d'Athènes / 2014 Athens Marathon
      • 23. 2014 Marathon de Toulouse / 2014 Toulouse Marathon
      • 22. 2014 Marathon de Montpellier / 2014 Montpellier Marathon
      • 21. 2014 Marathon de Chicago / 2014 Chicago Marathon
      • 20. 2014 Marathon de Bruxelles / 2014 Brussels Marathon
      • 19. 2014 Marathon de Berlin / 2014 Berlin Marathon
      • 18. 2014 Marathon d'Oslo (Norvège) / 2014 Oslo Marathon (Norway)
      • 17. Marathon de Cologne (Allemagne) / 2014 Cologne Marathon (Germany)
      • 16.Marathon des Oussaillès / 2014 Oussaillès Marathon (France)
      • 15. Marathon de Monschau/The 2014 Monschau Marathon
      • 14. Marathon de Liechtenstein/The 2014 Liechtenstein Marathon
      • 13. Marathon Marne et Gondoire/2014 Marne et Gondoire Marathon (France)
      • 12. Marathon du Mont Saint-Michel/2014 Mont Saint-Michel Marathon (France)
      • 11. Marathon de Riga/2014 Riga Marathon (Latvia)
      • 10. Marathon de Hambourg/2014 Hamburg Marathon
      • 9. Marathon de Sénart/2014 Senart Marathon
      • 8. Marathon de Düsseldorf /2014 Düsseldorf Marathon
      • 7. Marathon de Boston/ 2014 Boston Marathon
      • 6. Marathon de Vienne/Vienna City Marathon
      • 5. Marathon de Paris
      • 4. Marathon de Barcelone
      • 3. Tokyo Marathon
      • 2. Marathon de Punta Arenas
      • 1. Le White Continent Marathon
    • 48 Marathons in Six Continents in 2013 >
      • Marathons 41 to 48 >
        • 48. Marathon de la Saint Sylvestre (Calderara di Reno, Italie)
        • 47. Heiligabend Marathon (Neubrücke, Allemagne)
        • 46. Marathon de Pise (Italie)
        • 45. Marathon de Honolulu
        • 44. Marathon des Iles Cayman
        • 43. Marathon de Florence (Italie)
        • 42. Marathon de Valence (Espagne)
        • 41. Marathon de Nice - Cannes (France)
      • Marathons 31 to 40 >
        • 40. Marathon de New York
        • 39. Marathon de Francfort (Allemagne)
        • 38/41. Marathon d'Amsterdam
        • 37/40. Marathon de Cologne (Allemagne)
        • 36. Marathon de Lyon (France)
        • 35. Marathon d'Einstein (Allemagne)
        • 34. Marathon de Karlsruhe (Allemagne)
        • 33. Marathon de Wachau 2013
        • 32. Marathon de Munster 2013
        • 31. Marathon des Oussaillès du Couserans 2013
      • Marathons 21 to 30 >
        • 30. Marathon de Reykjavik 2013
        • 29. Marathon d'Helsinki 2013
        • 28. Marathon de Monschau 2013
        • 27. Marathon de Saint-André-des-Eaux 2013
        • 26. Le Marathon de l’Outback australien 2013 (Ayers Rock)
        • 25. Le Marathon de l'Ile Maurice 2013
        • 24. Le Marathon de Rio de Janeiro 2013
        • 23. Marathon de Marne et Gondoire 2013
        • 22. Fidelitas Nachtmarathon (Karlsruhe) 2013
        • 21. Marathon de la liberté (Caen) 2013
      • Marathons 11 to 20 >
        • 20. Marathon de Luxembourg 2013
        • 19. Marathon de Stockholm 2013
        • 18. Marathon de Poitiers Futuroscope 2013
        • 17. Marathon de la Grande muraille de Chine 2013
        • 16. Marathon de la Route du Louvre 2013
        • 15. Marathon de Genève 2013
        • 14. Marathon de Sénart 2013
        • 13. Marathon de Madrid 2013
        • 12. Marathon de Londres 2013
        • 11. Marathon de Rotterdam 2013
      • Marathons 1 to 10 >
        • 10. Marathon de Paris 2013
        • 9. Marathon de Marseille 2013
        • 8. Marathon de Rome 2013
        • 2013 Bienwald Marathon
        • 2013 Treviso Marathon
        • 5. Marathon de Séville 2013
        • 4. Marathon de la Saint Valentin (Terni, Italie) 2013
        • 3. Marathon de Marrakech 2013
        • 2. Marathon de Gran Canaria (Iles Canaries) 2013
        • 1. Marathon du Nouvel An (Zurich) 2013
    • 2012 >
      • 1. Marathon de Miami 2012
      • 2. Marathon de la Nouvelle-Orléans 2012
      • 3. Marathon de Los Angeles 2012
      • 4. Marathon de Boston 2012
      • 5. Marathon de Nashville 2012
      • 6. Marathon de Seattle 2012
      • 7. Marathon de San Francisco 2012
      • 8. Marathon d'Helsinki 2012
      • 9. Marathon de Berlin 2012
      • 10. Marathon de La Rochelle 2012
      • 11. Marathon de Lisbonne 2012
      • 12. Marathon de Pise 2012
    • 2011 >
      • 1. Marathon de Paris 2011
      • 2. Marathon de Mississauga (Canada) 2011
      • 3. Marathon de Carmel (Indiana, Usa) 2011
      • 4. Marathon de Marquette (Michigan, Usa) 2011
      • 5. Marathon de Chicago 2011
      • 6. Marathon de Las Vegas 2011
    • 2010.10.10 Chicago Marathon/My First Marathon
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    • 7 Half Marathons in the US
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  • 681 km à pied, ça use le corps et les souliers
  • Le Running Human
  • The Global Marathon Against Pandemics
  • Un marathon pour la santé
  • Le marathon est fatal aux maladies chroniques
  • Coping With the Coronavirus
  • Salvation Is in Our Human Roots
  • The Missed Benefits of COVID-19
  • Pathetic Homo sapiens
  • Stop Deforestation
  • Humans Were Happy Social Beings
Early humans invented running and practiced persistence hunting for about three million years. They enjoyed a healthy lifestyle and left us therefore an inhabitable planet. But what kind of planet are we leaving for future generations?

The Running Pioneers and the Cheaters

By Dr. Barefoot Sidy Diallo
 
The Marathon Is an Instinctive Repackaging of Persistence Hunting

Early humans invented running and practiced persistence hunting for the survival of human species until they managed to invent farming—the domestication of some plants and animals—in the prehistoric Middle East. They smartly lived in harmony with nature for millions of years and enjoyed a healthy lifestyle and body mass index (BMI). They left us therefore a very inhabitable planet, which begs many vital questions:
 
Are current humans performing well regarding their life expectancy in good health and the management of natural resources?
Will there still be humans by the year 3,000,000?
If, in the meantime, there are future generations, what kind of planet are we leaving for them?, etc.?

The marathon is an instinctive repackaging of persistence hunting by white males who in 1896 pretended to reinvent the wheel, and banned everyone else from competing with them.
The marathon is indeed unconscious persistence hunting, which explains for instance why marathon finishers instinctively exhibit their medals as hunting trophies and some even can’t resist biting the metallic awards—as if they were truly animals—and so proudly take selfies.
 
The Humble Running Pioneers
 
The running pioneers are those individuals of early human species that around three million years ago went from zero to developing the abilities for long-distance running, i.e. persistence hunting, which is the most extraordinary human achievement and the mother of all human achievements. They not only developed the abilities and the best technique for fair hunting—no cheating with weapons—but also regularly chased the animals for food to ensure the survival of human species.
 
We should therefore be respectful to the truly running pioneers and express our gratitude and admiration for their achievements and for leaving us an inhabitable planet and exceptional abilities to run “marathons.”
 
In other words, running a marathon should never be about bragging rights or social recognition, but humbly about enjoying our hunter-gatherer moment while building fitness and preventing obesity, type 2 diabetes, dementia, depression, stress and other chronic diseases, instead of seeking happiness or the meaning of life in addictions to food, legal or illegal psychotropic drugs, etc.
 
This means that there’s no fundamental difference between Boston Marathon runners and persistence hunters in the Kalahari Desert, except for the humility and the relatively lower average body mass index (BMI) of the Africans.
 
Cheating Is the Original Sin of the Marathon
 
Exploiting a powerful position to rig despicably the rules of a competition is shameful cheating. The white males did just that in 1896 when they pretended to reinvent the wheel and banned everyone else—including their mothers, sisters and daughters—from competing with them. They also stupidly claimed that “women are not capable of running a marathon,” and later came up with the bird-brained racist theory of “speed genes.” 
 
The cheaters who abusively excluded the women, the victims of racial segregation, the colonized and the oppressed from running marathons, and also wrongly claimed that they were the running pioneers and exceptional athletes, suffered unprecedented humiliation when they were forced to face competition with not only white female runners, but also runners from the new independent countries.

Never mind, the end of cheating through the exclusion of competitors prompted the cheaters to find creative methods to claim shamefully undeserved achievements, records, rankings, etc., or to beat a time limit: once a cheater, forever a cheater.
 
Abebe Bikila and the Cheaters at the 1960 Olympic Marathon
 
The possibility of a black, barefoot African athlete beating the white males—who had been claiming white male superiority for over 60 years—was both terrifying and humiliating. So they did what they could to prevent that from happening, to no avail.
 
As I explain in my book Running Barefoot for Human Survival, Ethiopian Abebe Bikila wearing the bib number 11 and his Moroccan contender ran together until the last 500 m. Nearing the Obelisk of Axum—a reminder of the Italian invasion and occupation of his country—Abebe mustered the strength and courage to sprint and win the race in a symbolic act of revenge.
 
Abebe Bikila’s coach told him that the runner with the bib number 26 was the favorite of the race, and therefore the one he had to beat. But Moroccan Ben Abdesselam ended up wearing the bib number 185 of the 10,000-meter event, without being disqualified for this violation of the rules and the fairness of the competition. More despicably, everybody, thus including the International Olympic Committee, condoned those flagrant infringements and just looked the other way.
 
The legitimate race numbers for the marathon, as we can see on the black and white photos of the event, consisted of two white digits on a black background, while the Moroccan was wearing a number consisting of three black digits on a white background. But nobody wanted to see the digit difference or the color contrast.

The following photo shows a cool Abebe Bikila “stalking” five desperate competitors—see their face—at the 1960 Olympic Marathon.
Picture
Abebe Bikila “stalking” five desperate competitors—see their face—at the 1960 Olympic Marathon.
The Rational Indicators of Runners’ Achievements
 
Persistence hunting was an inclusive, collective and non-competitive human activity for survival. Catching and sharing the animal was their motivation. The fact that we are here today is the best evidence that they accomplished their mission. They were wise, humble and genuine achievers. There was no reason and no room for cheating.
 
On the other hand, since nowadays marathoners enjoy easy access to food with the risk of developing obesity and other diseases, the rational indicators of running performance are their physical and mental health and their fitness relative their age—not deserved or cheated numbers, records, certificates or rankings.
 
In July 1975, in a display of voluntary servitude and parody of British and French colonial manners in Africa, British businessmen carried in a sedan chair—with another white man holding a sunshade—the overweight Ugandan president Idi Amin from his residence to a conference center for a summit meeting of the Organization of African Unity in Kampala. “I think you have heard I was being carried at 258 pounds (117 kg) by 19 people who managed to carry me 11 1/2 miles, and they were very tired,” Amin later said.
 
Cars, trains, buses, electric scooters, electric bikes, etc., have replaced the colonial sedan chairs, but contrary to widespread belief, our hunter-gatherer body is designed for long-distance running and walking—not for physical inactivity and motorized locomotion, hence the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, including obesity, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, dementia, fatigue, insomnia, stress, depression and vulnerability to pandemics.


 
Getting Pontificated by the President of a Marathon Club
 
I was inspired to write this article by the president of a marathon club who—when I “dared” to leave their club because of their incoherent definition of countries—misguidedly felt entitled to lecture me about running pioneers and even French geography. Excerpts of the “facts” he put to me in two e-mails: “You should always check the facts. The pioneers of the club were running marathons in countries before you were born. I have a problem understanding your ignorance of this fact: Paris and Marseille are regions...”
 
Well, the “pioneer” pretending to be running marathons before I was born is barely 11 years older than me. Regarding his “problem understanding my ignorance,” any French high school student can humbly help him by explaining that Paris and Marseille are cities—not regions. Paris is one of the cities of the region Île-de-France, and Marseille is in the region Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, Monsieur le professeur.
Picture
British businessmen carrying in a sedan chair the overweight Ugandan president Idi Amin to a conference center in 1975
You can navigate and zoom on the following interactive map through the marathons (orange icons) and ultramarathons (blue icons) I have completed around the world with the purpose of promoting the excellent health and fitness benefits of running. Click on an icon to see the name of the race and on the link to access the related article on this website.

The 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).
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Welcome to Running 2.0!
Let’s wake up and act now to save Homo sapiens, the only endangered animal species that humans don’t care about. The planet is fine. Let’s Save the Human!
 
Bienvenue à la course à pied 2.0 !
Réveillons-nous et agissons maintenant pour sauver l’Homo sapiens, la seule espèce animale menacée dont personne ne s’en soucie. La planète va bien. Nous devons sauver l’être humain !