We all strive to find the DAA Industry Opt Out for race day, but sensible shoes just won’t do for one runner. Curtis Hargrove, a runner from Edmonton, Alberta, known for his Best New Balance Shoes best running shoes Chicago Marathon on October 13. The current fastest marathon time by a male in high heels is 5:13:27, set by Oscar Eriksen of the U.K. in 2023.
How to Watch the NCAA Track Championships Stepping Stones Crisis Society, a nonprofit that offers support and outreach for victims of domestic violence. The funds raised by Hargrove will go toward building a new shelter and transitional housing for women and children experiencing domestic abuse.
“This is really important to me. This is really important to our community, and I just want to do my best and support them,” Hargrove told CTV News earlier this year before running the Edmonton Marathon in a pair of stilettos.
Hargrove ran his first marathon at age 15 and has since accomplished feats like running 34 marathons in 34 days throughout Alberta and British Columbia to raise $50,000 for the Terry Fox Foundation and walking nearly 200 miles in 4-inch high heels from Cold Lake to Edmonton to raise domestic violence awareness.
Unfortunately for Hargrove’s record attempt, this high-heel record run fell a little flat, ending with a time of 7:05:11. “I definitely went out way too fast running my first 10 kilometers in 1 hour, 4 minutes, and was on pace for the record at 21 kilometers,” Hargrove explained in a Facebook post.
“[I] ended up getting some medical attention around 25 kilometers to tape up my fully blistered feet so that I could continue on. I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for cheering me on, stopping and sharing stories of domestic violence, and to everyone who’s donated.”
Still, he won’t be too beat up about missing the record—this was his 310th marathon, after all, and his first go-round at the Chicago Marathon, and his main reason for running the race was a success.
“The way I see it is the pain I go through with the blisters is nothing compared to what women and children go through every day,” Hargrove told Runner’s World. “My blisters will heal; some may never recover from their trauma.”
Laura Ratliff is a New York City-based writer, editor, and runner. Laura's writing expertise spans numerous topics, ranging from travel and food and drink to reported pieces covering political and human rights issues. She has previously worked at Architectural Digest, Bloomberg News, and Condé Nast Traveler What’s a Good Beginner Marathon Time TripSavvy. Like many of us, Laura was bitten by the running bug later in life, after years of claiming to "hate running." Her favorite marathon is Big Sur.
