We’ve lined some spectacular accomplishments by runners in non-traditional working footwear not too long ago, however this one may high all of them: earlier this month, on the Cadbury Marathon in Tasmania, Australia, 27-year-old Dan Camac of Adelaide set a brand new unofficial marathon document whereas carrying a pair of Crocs—changing into the primary runner to interrupt the 2 hour and 50-minute mark within the versatile foam shoe.
Camac shared on his Strava web page that he solely did a couple of working strides and a parkrun within the footwear earlier than the large race. In an interview with 10 Information Australia, Camac mentioned his motivation got here from scrolling by the Guinness World Information web site. “I’m all the time on the lookout for a brand new problem, and I already owned a pair of Crocs,” he mentioned.
The earlier document for a Crocs-wearing marathon was set by American software program engineer Kevin Leimkuhler on the 2024 New York Metropolis Marathon. Leimkuhler ran a time of two hours and 51 minutes, leaving Camac with a decent margin within the ultimate few kilometres.
Heading into the race, Camac felt assured he may break the document, given his earlier marathon finest of two:34 and his expertise coping with discomfort as an ultrarunner. “It sucked,” Camac mentioned about working a marathon in Crocs. “I used to be fading on the finish, however managed to carry on for the document.”
For his effort to be formally acknowledged, Camac can submit an utility to Guinness World Information with witnesses and proof of his outcome; ratification normally takes a couple of months for Guinness World Information to overview the applying, look at the proof and validate marathon information. No matter recognition, working a marathon in non-traditional footwear—like Crocs or carbon-plated sandals—is a formidable feat in its personal proper.