Runner loses shoe mid-race, ditches second shoe, finishes 10K in only socks
Though he had to initially part ways with his racing flats, Anthony Franchini had a memorable finish at the Course et marche populaires de LaSalle.
Laval, Quebec’s Anthony Franchini now has a story to tell from the 2017 Course et marche populaires de LaSalle in Montreal though he was initially down a pair of racing flats. Franchini, who runs for Athletisme Ville Marie, ran 36:15 of the 10K course completing the final 2K without shoes.
With approximately seven minutes remaining in the race, another runner, Danic Audet, inadvertently clipped Franchini forcing him to lose one of his shoes. Audet tried to go back and retrieve the shoe but Franchini wouldn’t let him. And, rather than finishing with only one shoe, in the heat of the moment, Franchini decided to ditch the second shoe. For symmetry, perhaps.
“Blisters were pretty bad on my right foot,” he admits. “It’s basically like a bad burn, but it’s not bad enough to stop me from running.”
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In cold morning Montreal temperatures, Franchini ran on and ended up finishing, albeit with a few additional blisters. At the time of the incident, a number of runners were in a tight pack in an effort to avoid the wind. Franchini refused to blame Audet, who offered multiple apologies.
Video of finish by Zoomphoto.ca
“I contacted the race director and they found shoes on the course, but they aren’t mine. How many people lose shoes?” he laughs. Franchini notes that the footwear just so happened to be his “PB shoes,” the Adidas Adizero Adios Boost 3 shoes with Superfeet insoles. His 10K PB is 35:16. (Update: The shoes were found.)
The club, which were debuting new singlets for the race, had a successful day with three victories. François Jarry and Melanie Myrand won the 5K and Jacques-Sylvain Lecointre won the 10K.
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