Abebe Bikila is an Ethiopian hero. In the 1960 Summer Olympics marathon, he tried on the shoes provided by his sponsor, Adidas before the event started. When his running shoes did not fit comfortably, he decided to run barefoot. Sports commentators found it weird seeing an Olympic runner barefoot.
He won the Gold Medal with a record time of 2:15:16.2, becoming the first black African to win an Olympic gold medal.
After the race, when Bikila was asked why he had run barefoot, he replied, “I wanted the world to know that my country, Ethiopia, has always won with determination and heroism." (info from Wikipedia)
The shoes in the photo is the Vibram Fivefingers Bikila, the running shoes I recently fell in love with. I saw Danalia's VFF post so I was inspired to take a photo of mine. It elicits strange looks from people; I admit it may be a fashion crime to be seen wearing them, but with the comfort and freedom I feel when they're on, fashion prison is absolutely worth it. According to Vibram, it lets you run as nature intended you to, with the best technology you have (your foot), hence, the near-barefoot experience.
I'm hoping that somehow, Abebe Bikila's power rub off on me when I wear the shoes named after him and finish even half a marathon. Kinda like a 'Like Mike' deal. :)
What an AMAZING photo, you are so talented and I am thrilled I inspired you to take one of your own! I myself became interested in barefoot running after reading the book: Born to Run. (If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it) I've been using them on trails for eight months now, and I will never go back to another shoe! I also wear them anytime I can get away with it...hehe so I know what you mean by the strange looks they elicit!! Happy marathon training, that is a goal of mine as well! :D
Great photo and story to go with it. I've seen those shoes a lot and have seen some people running in them. They seem a bit weird and would take me a while to get used to wearing! There's a guy in my town that is trying to run across country, barefoot. He started last summer but had to stop due to injuries. He's training again. His website can be found by googling "Run Tellman Run."
Awesome photo and great story. I saw these for the first time in the Detroit airport last week and today a FB friend just posted a photo of his newly purchased pair. Everyone will be wearing them soon enough.
I'm sure you will run the marathon and your photo is a winner! A South African girl called Zola Budd also used to run and win races barefoot, I'm sure we weren't meant to run great distances with our toes clamped together as in ordinary shoes :-)
wow, how have I missed your photos all this time? I've been following you but never see your picttures. I'm going back and look at them all.
starting with this one...wow, stunning. looks so professional. very crisp and simple yet eye-catching.
I love the story behind this image, and the composition is awesome! I have a pair of Vibrams I wear when I sail... sometimes it's too hot to be barefoot on deck, but I don't like the way normal, flat-soled shoes feel on deck. I was surprised at just how comfy those things are!
Wow... this was taken almost 2 years ago. Just saw it on the work shoes thread and came to see your other work. But before I do I wanted to fav this one :)
June 19th, 2012
Leave a Comment
Sign up for a free account or Sign in to post a comment.
starting with this one...wow, stunning. looks so professional. very crisp and simple yet eye-catching.