Sports

Local Runs Baltimore Marathon in Flip Flops

Keith Levasseur may claim a world record.

 

Keith Levasseur ran the Baltimore Marathon on Saturday in flip flops and finished with a time of 2:46:58, good enough for 29th overall.

Levasseur, a member of the Howard County Striders, was hoping to claim a Guinness World Record in the process—for fastest marathon run in flip flops, according to an article in Runners World.

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Levasseur, 34, who listed his residence in Glen Burnie in the race registration, told Runner's World he was initially hoping to get under 3 hours in the flip flops, but after a few miles he quickened his pace, becoming comfortable in the sandals.

He ended up running the 26.2 mile course with an average mile time of about 6 minutes and 37 seconds.

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The day after the marathon, Levasseur said his feet were quite sore, due to having to run a slightly different style to keep the flip flops on his feet, according to Runner's World.

Running blogger Miss Zippy, who is in the Howard County Striders running club along with Levasseur, wrote Levasseur made an initial run in flip flops in September, which didn’t go well.

"He says the shin strain was significant from having to grip the shoe and change his form," wrote Miss Zippy. "He briefly reconsidered the whole thing, but then decided to push on. After a few more runs in the four- to five-mile range, and a final 'long' run of 14 miles in the flip-flops, Keith was ready to go."

Levasseur, a former Marine, clocked his personal best marathon time at last year's Marine Corps Marathon, with a time of 2:38, according to the Howard County Striders' website.

Levasseur started running competitively in 2008 and has since run more than 100 races, including a 100-miler, which he finished in just over 24 hours, according to his Striders' bio.

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