Runner UK wants to set a Guinness record with snowshoes

"While spring may have just begun to bloom and layers of clothing are being shed, one British man is still clutching his snowshoes and even preparing to run a half-marathon in them." , the Runner's World page commented.

Tom Bracey, of Birmingham, England, will run a half marathon at the Great Birmingham Run on May 7 in snowshoes and hope to be recognized by the Guinness World Records.

The 23-year-old runner aspires to become the first male runner to run a semi-marathon in snowshoes, after Frenchwoman Emilie Cruz at the 2019 Marathon de Genève. She completed the race with a time of 3 hours 7 minutes 35 seconds.

"The only half-marathon world record for running in snowshoes is currently held only in the women's category. So I applied for the Guinness World Records for the men's category," Bracey told the BBC.

An avid runner, Bracey has attended the 2019 London Marathon and several half-marathons, but all have run in traditional shoes. To set a record at the Great Birmingham Run 2023, he trained by running 5km in boots and will continue the 10km race in new and lighter boots.

"My new shoes are a bit lighter, but still very stiff. They don't have any of the flexibility of normal running shoes. So they put more strain on my muscles and really punish your calves." , Bracey said.

While many new snowshoes come with a "walk mode" that loosens the insides to allow more room for the foot and ankle to move, they're still not designed for running. Even so, running in snowshoes has become a trend in recent years.

Paul Harnett - an orthopedic surgeon who wants to raise awareness for the British Paralympic Federation - set a Guinness record when running the London Marathon 2019 in ski boots with a time of 5 hours 30 minutes. This record holds until 2021, when Paul Bennett runs the London Marathon seven seconds faster.

Great Birmingham Run is a half marathon held in Birmingham every October. In 2019, the race distance was reduced to 17,815 kilometers (11.07 miles), due to a security alert near Cannon Hill Park. Great Birmingham Run 2020 canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.