54-year-old runner breaks record for barefoot marathon on snow

The old record in this category belonged to Dutch runner Wim Hof ​​from 2007 with 2 hours 16 minutes 34 seconds.

Salek set the new record by more than 25 minutes on March 14, in a valley near the highest mountain in the Czech Republic. The loop was carefully measured by experts, and Guinness also sent a supervisor as the 54-year-old took the challenge.

In temperatures of around -5 degrees Celsius, Salek ran shirtless, barefoot and wearing only a pair of tight shorts. He showed no signs of fatigue throughout the 21.0975 km and was excitedly spreading his arms and jumping up and down when he finished. Salek's average pace when setting the record was 5:15 (5 minutes 15 seconds per kilometer).

Salek is a lecturer, personal development coach and therapist, but is known in the Czech Republic for his will to train and his passion for overcoming challenges. Since 2013, he has been performing barefoot stunts on broken glass or hot coals. "I want to show people how to overcome fear and lack of confidence," Salek writes on his website.

In 2017, after his marriage broke down and he indulged in unhealthy habits such as binge eating, drinking, and smoking, Salek started running to regain balance in his life. "Thanks to running, my body and mind are better connected. After just a few months, I felt like running barefoot and undressing. From then on, I could run dozens of kilometers and several marathons a year barefoot," he said.

Two weeks before his record-breaking 21.0978 km barefoot run in the snow, Salek acclimatized to the harsh conditions by soaking his feet in freezing cold ice every day. That careful preparation and strong will enabled him to complete the challenge, breaking the record by more than 25 minutes.

In 2023, Salek set another world record when he planked for 9 hours, 38 minutes, 47 seconds, beating the old record by more than 8 minutes. According to him, this challenge does not require too much physical strength, but requires the ability to master the mind. "I just focus on practicing how to accept the level of difficulty of the challenge, helping the mind feel comfortable with physical difficulties," Salek explained at the time. This is also the secret to his recent success in conquering the barefoot running record on snow.