Back at the end of 2012 (when ASA race numbers still arrived
before the new year) I called Mike* and suggested we run the Varsity Kudus 15km
barefoot.
Mike, an early doyen of barefooting in SA had taken minimalism to
the next level with his sandals and trademark kilt. But we had both been
dabbling with pure barefoot running for a while, including for Mike, some
desperate quarry running which required the carrying of a brick for who knows
how many miles (Bert’s Bricks race of old).
I remember that Kudus run very well as does Mike, I am sure. There was a certain magic in those moments that paused for a long time as we ran connecting earth and sun.
But Mike’s network of friends and acquaintances
prevents the mere running of a race. It becomes a banter-fest of lung-busting
exertion. The reason for wearing a kilt, he said, was that no-one noticed he
was running barefoot. As a vision-stopper, the kilt kept the gaze of the multitudes
from drifting downwards. “What’s under that kilt?” was the standard question.
And now hidden in plain sight we see it’s merely a black … err … something.
In spite of the kilt, barefooting in those days attracted
much astonishment and some admonition. Yes, it was not uncommon for a race
referee or official to administer a dose of reprimand (and on rare occasions
mild hostility). “Hoekom draf jy so?” and “Wat makeer jou, waar is jou
tekkies?”.
But Varsity Kudus was a Wits run and cares about equality,
poverty, Varsity fees and other “wicked” problems left little room for worry
about two barefooters.
In those stronger days we ticked off the kays fairly briskly
and afterwards spent a while lounging in the summer sun and probably drinking a
craft beer. Those miles led to more and longer barefoot runs for myself as well
as Mike. In reflection we were fortunate to be at the forefront of the changing
mindset that still dictated shoes as integral to the running experience.
Today though, “barefoot” as a descriptor, is appropriated by
a wide range of branded goods that hope to draw on the essence and spirit of unshod bipedalism. But the real benefits, both physical and spiritual, remain strongest for those whose feet are truly open for the world to see.
Andrew - Oct 2022
*Mike Henning
