Running a marathon is already an extreme undertaking. To do it barefoot takes a special kind of runner—or one just being from Florida.
A man has captured the internet’s attention after running the entire Boston marathon—all 26.2 miles of it—while barefoot.
The man in question is 24-year-old Terrence Concannon, known online simply as “Tampa Terrence.” He recently completed the Boston Marathon with his dogs out, becoming the youngest person to complete this marathon shoeless.
But Terrence isn’t just in this for the novelty of it. In fact, he says that this barefoot run allowed him to do something incredible.
Why Did This Man Run The Boston Marathon Barefoot?
In a video with over 11.9 million views, TikTok user Helen (@helen.kellers.child) identifies Terrence as her brother. Her video shows his journey through the marathon, making multiple pass-bys while running barefoot toward the finish line.
“Ran on pure sole,” she jokes in the caption.
In his own video showing his achievement, Terrence (@terrenceconcannon) says he was able to achieve a sub-4-hour time.
Not only that, but Terrence says that this whole journey allowed him to raise $13,000 for Tenacity. This is a Boston charity that supports education for at-risk youth.
What Did Training For This Look Like?
As you might expect, one can’t just go from being a non-runner to completing a marathon barefoot.
That said, Terrence’s reported training time was pretty minimal. According to AOL, he only had around 40 days to train for the marathon. Most of this training involved, understandably, running barefoot—though he did try to toughen his feet by stepping on things like seashells and Legos.
Still, prior to the marathon, he tells AOL that the furthest he went was 16 miles, a distance that sucked out nearly all of his energy.
“I hit the biggest wall ever when I was in Tampa, like two weeks ago,” he tells AOL. “I did 16, and I was like, ‘I really don’t know if I could do this. It’s gonna be a grind.’”
“But if it wasn’t for the crowd, the Boston Marathon crowd is the most insane thing ever. I’m pretty sure there’s 700,000 people that go along the whole road,” he continues. “So, you’re seeing just thousands of people. You go past two colleges that go crazy. So, that energy is basically what got me through it, because I really don’t think I could have done it if I was just running alone, you know.”
Commenters Love It
In the comments section, users showed their support for Terrence.
“Bro has keys, a wallet, his cell and a charger in his pockets,” joked a user.
“Sharing this with the rest of our medical tent. We were very concerned for him when we saw him go by. He was the topic for most of the remainder of the day. Glad to see he made it!” exclaimed another.
“Imagine running the boston marathon, you curated ur carb intake, broke in the perfect shoes, have the perfect outfit that doesn’t chafe, and this man runs past you shirtless and barefoot,” shared a third.
How Are His Feet Now?
Surprisingly, Terrence says his feet are holding up just fine. While he says his iliotibial band is now incredibly sore, his feet feel great.
“The feet are—they’re doing great,” he tells his sister in a video filmed three days after the marathon. “I’m back in Florida. They’re feeling great. A little dirty right now, but, yeah, they feel good.”
Another video shows that Terrence got a foot massage following the race, which he says he enjoyed.
While Terrence isn’t sure if he wants to do this again, he says that “for right now, no—I’m taking a break.”
In the meantime, however, it seems the shoes are staying off.
@helen.kellers.child Ran on pure sole @Tampa Terrence #bostonmarathon
BroBible reached out to Terrence via email and Instagram direct message, and Helen via email.