Flip-flops? Don ran for PHS barefoot

I saw this article in Facebook where this guy, Keith Lavasseur, ran the Baltimore Marathon last Saturday in flip flops. His time was 2:46:58 and he placed 29th overall among 3,024 finishers. I guess he made it into the Guinness Book of World Records.

Being a X-marathon runner, this caught my attention. At the age of 48 (I’m now 70) I hit the competitive running circle and after running 16 preliminary races (five 5Ks, six 10Ks, two half-marathons, one 5-mile, one 10-mile and one 20K) decided to run my first marathon.

Pretty boring stuff right? In the three years of running I ran a total of seven marathons. The first was up in the Upper Peninsula and my time was 3:34:16. If I appear to be bragging I probably am, sorry.

Getting back to the flip-flop man, he reminded me of when I was running cross-country at Palatine High School and for some crazy reason ran barefoot. I can’t remember how many other nuts were doing this but I do remember beginning the race running the first part on a cinder track (behind the old Palatine H.S.) The rest of the two-mile race was up and around the swimming pool and then ack around the cinder track.

The cross country season went into winter and I remember running barefoot in the snow and then hitting the frozen cinder tracks and then looking down at my bleeding feet. It was worth it and we had a great team. We took it on the feet for the old alumni.

Don Miller

Palatine