After having realized that his regular pair of running shoes had worn out just before his 1960 Rome Olympics marathon and that his sponsored pair of trainers would not fit comfortably, Abebe Bikila decided he would run the marathon wearing nothing. With gentle strides and a relaxed composure, not only did Bikila finish the race, he also shattered Emil Zatopek’s previous marathon record finishing in a time of 2:15:16.
