Running a Marathon in huaraches

Running Pune international marathon

Tags: Running Barefoot Marathon

Running a Marathon in huaraches

I ran the Pune International Marathon (PIM) yesterday. That was my 3rd Marathon. Unlike previous ones, this one was a bit different

Had 8 weeks to prepare; earlier I had followed a 16 weeks training plan.
It was declared as a night marathon 3 weeks before

The preparation mostly went through the plan; except a week was lost in Covid19’s third wave. Long runs on the weekend and interval, tempo runs and ST & Yog sessions during the week.

I wanted to experiment two new ideas

Running in DIY Huaraches
Slow start

Huaraches

Huraches are running sandals for minimalists runners; a running gear for barefoot runners. I have been practicing barefoot running for years now and the maximum that I have run barefoot is 32 km; skin becomes sensitive after that especially on little rough roads. Huaraches would definitely help in such a situation.

I custom made a Huaraches from a local cobbler. There are tons of videos on the internet for the same. I would recommend this video on DIY Huaraches.

This is how it looks.

I used it for a couple of 10ks and 5ks runs during the interval and tempo runs. But on the race day it didn’t work as expected.

The knot below the sole was being constantly felt especially on the slope.
The lace used had a slight edge which bruised the toe near the big toe and was not bearable after 21km.

So after half the distance I had to hide the huaraches in the bush ;) and run barefoot.

The design needs to be further tweaked to handle these issues. (See Footer)

Slow start

In the last past marathons, the pace at the start of the marathon was much higher than the planned race map and it happened because of the excitement of the event. This podcast on The Art & Science of Pacing with Chris McClung helped me plan it.

This time the first 4 km were done almost 30-45 secs slower than the planned race pace and matched the race pace eventually. This worked pretty well; could feel enough energy at the end of 34 km and the last 8 km were done strong.

The race day feedback

Hydration Strategy : Because the race was at the midnight; where the environment is much humid and warm than the usual mornings; hydration strategy played an important role. It actually starts two days before the event. Almost 4-5 liters of water and lemon juice was consumed daily. During the run consumed ~200ml of water and juices for two km.
Meals and sleep : With midnight star time regular dinner was skipped and instead heavy breakfast and lunch was done and Millet’s Khichadi at 7 PM. Also slept 3-4 hours during the day. Carried 3/4 salted dates in the pockets and were consumed apart from a banana and an orange during the run.
Stops : Had two stops in the first 21 km to adjust the huaraches. The first one to paste a medical tape at the bruising surface and the later to get rid of the gear. Between 25-34 km there were 5 secs walk per km; unplanned one but rough road patches and route ascent forced it. Last 8 km was mostly non-stop and much faster and better than previous marathons.

The race was completed in 4:49 hrs. Running barefoot in the second half definitely helped with better cadence and pace.

Overall the experience was nice. Weather became calmer and cooler as the race progressed and so was the traffic and public encouraging the runners ;).

Happy Running.

PS:

While tying the knot, make sure that the lace between the big and long toe runs parallel to the long toe, not diagonally across as shown in the image. This ensures it doesn’t rub against the long toe.
The issue with the knot under the sole can be fixed by making another hole just in front of the existing one and bringing the lace knot above the huarache, instead of under its sole.

Tags: Running Barefoot Marathon
Updated on: 2022-02-28