The worst was the blackberry bushes, but the bark mulch and grave pathways were tolerable.
This was the experience of Alexander Dungate and Matthew Leighton, two Kitsilano sailors and long-distance runners who raced barefoot during the public school cross-country season.
“A lot of people would find it scary just because of hurting yourself,” said Dungate. “We thought it through.”
In what was likely a first for the city’s public schools, the barefoot teammates vowed to pull out of a race at Jericho last month if one of them couldn’t continue. They wore gaffing tape but after it fell off their feet, they ran the remaining six kilometres in the buff.
“We stayed together the whole time and finished together,” said Leighton, who is a member of the Jericho Sailing Club and sails a dinghy with Dungate.
The teens were inspired by Born to Run, a book about the Tarahumara nation from Mexico’s Copper Canyons and the athletes who run ultra-marathons wearing only thin sandals on their feet.
The decision to bare their soles was a competitive disadvantage, but it was planned — unlike what happened to Leighton during a triathlon this summer. When his legs cramped after the swim and bicycle portions and he couldn’t put on his shoes for the five-km run, he went without them.
Neither competitor raced the Oct. 28 city final barefoot but the runners said they will try minimal shoe styles. Leighton, who qualified for the provincials this weekend, said he plans to wear shoes.
