Keith Levasseur ran Baltimore Marathon in 2:46:58 while wearing flip flops. Levasseur is set to file paperwork with the Guinness Book of World Records to have his accomplishment acknowledged as a world record for a marathon in flip flops.
“I had every intention of sticking to the race plan of finishing a little under 3:00, so my initial pace starting out was 6:40-6:50 [per mile],” Levasseur told Runner’s World Newswire. “After a few miles, I decided I go with whatever pace I could comfortably run, even if it was faster than my target pace. I know there are some decent hills later in the race and I didn’t know how I would be doing from a time perspective at that point, so I gave myself some wiggle room by letting go on the downhills and cruising in the low 6:00’s.”
Levasseur, who placed 29th out of the 3,024 finishers, said that fellow racers as well as spectators noticed his footwear. Runners, he said, “were supportive of the effort and after a ‘you’re crazy’ comment or two, they wished me luck. I heard a number of spectators saying, ‘Hey, that’s the flip flop guy!’ as I passed.”
