Barefoot Pat' Blog

I just registered to the first edition of the Eiger Ultra Trail. http://www.eigerultratrail.ch/en/trail-e51.html This sounds insane but my cardiologist told me that I could aim at longer races with lower heart rates. So I registered for the "short" course. Still, 51 km and 3100 m altitude difference may be a tad brutal. That is why I enrolled two of my friends, Dani and  Kristof Together, we will run as the team "Tarahumara Spirit". What this means is that we will run this trail without time goal. Our only goal will be to enjoy every step and to feel blessed to be able to run,...during 10 hours, or more. The point is to feel that, if you forget the competitive aspect, Running is indeed an essential part of the human nature and that you can run for long distances without getting hurt and with a long-lasting feeling of oneness, and a big smile, before, during and after. As for my 1st marathon in Chicago in 2009, I will develop...

On May 5, 2013, for the Geneva Half-Marathon, I tested a "long run" in Huaraches, the running sandals of the Tarahumara people. I was not sure whether my legs and especially my calves were strong enough and springy enough to caress the ground for 21 km so I estimated my time between 2h and 2h30. The result was 2h06, i.e. exactly 10 kph and a big smile during and after. This is another step towards a full Marathon in sandals. And before this running "shoes" become a standard, I can seriously show off and the color of the soles and laces attracts girls. They cannot resist asking me where I got my sandals and if they can have the same color. Note the perfect match with the t-shirt I got at the 20 km of Lausanne just a week before.