Here's a cool story: Josef Šálek, of Czechia, has just set a new Guinness World Records title for the Are women better endurance athletes than men.
Šálek – a therapist, lecturer, and personal development coach – accomplished the feat in a time of 1:50:42 while clad in nothing but a pair of short tights and an ecstatic grin. He smashed the previous record of 2:16:34, which was set by Dutch runner Wim 'The Iceman' Hof sixteen years ago in 2007.
Lil Nas X ran the NYC Half in Coach high tops half marathon record was clocked on an open circuit in a valley near the highest mountain in Czechia (previously referred to as the Czech Republic), measured by a professional surveyor.
This is not Šálek's first Guinness World Records title, either. In 2023, the fitness enthusiast proved his extreme abdominal strength by holding a plank for 9 hours, 38 minutes and 47 seconds, besting the previous record by more than eight minutes.
Technically, Šálek’s preparation for the barefoot half marathon record began over a decade ago in 2013, before he even became a runner. He started hosting workshops where he would walk barefoot over hot coals and glass shards. 'I needed to show people how to manage their fears and lack of self-confidence in practice,' he wrote on his website.
Then, in 2017, after experiencing a break-up and struggling with unhealthy eating habits and alcohol and cigarette use, he decided to try running. It provided a distraction from his heartbreak.
'My communication with my body developed strongly,' he wrote, 'and after only a few months I had the need to run barefoot and half-body. Since then, I regularly run several tens of kilometres or marathons year-round barefoot.'
In the two weeks leading up to his official record attempt, Šálek submerged his feet in a tub of ice everyday. The night before the event, the course froze over and there were concerns that Šálek wouldn't be able to run at all. However, once volunteers had raked the ground, the athlete was able to embark on his Guinness World Records mission.
On the course, Šálek zigzagged and adapted his running pattern to prevent himself from slipping on the ice. It was by no means an easy effort – imagine running 13.1 miles at an average pace of 8:27 min/mile over sharp, slick ice while barefoot and wearing only shorts. But, thanks to his training and mental fortitude, a smiling Šálek made it to the finish line and conquered his goal. The Guinness World Records official adjudicator, Pravin Patel, was on site to announce Šálek’s successful attempt and hand him his certificate.
'I knew that in my case it’s not about demanding physical training, but rather about mastering the process… about my mindset,' said Šálek to Guinness World Records after his abdominal plank record. One of the mental techniques he practiced for this first record was acceptance, and being able to embrace the difficulty of the exercise – and it was probably this ability to constrain peace with physical discomfort that helped Šálek to master his barefoot half marathon on the ice, too.
