Eddie Vega started running without shoes as a child in the Philippines. And when a friend dared him to run the Savage Seven Marathon in Florida barefoot in 2012, Vega accepted the challenge. Now, the 55-year-old IT consultant is a two-time Guinness World Record holder. Vega holds the marks for the most barefoot marathons run on consecutive days (ten) and the most barefoot marathons run in one year (101). Yes, you read that correctly. Vega ran 26.2 miles over a hundred times in 2014 — without shoes.



The most daunting course for Vega, predictably, was in the Southern Hemisphere. The extreme Southern Hemisphere. The "Barefoot Bandito" told his story to Purpose2Play.



That was nothing compared to the time that he tried to run a marathon in Antarctica barefoot. It was the only barefoot race that he did not finish.

“I didn’t realize that I was leaving blood trails along the course,” Vega said. “We were informed prior to the race that the White Continent is a ‘No Impact Zone,’ meaning that what comes onto Antarctica leaves Antarctica. Anything you needed to consume or let go of had to be carried on your body all the way back to Chile. No spitting was allowed and you had to carry your own pee bottle and poo bag. The fact that I was leaving blood trails the entire length of the course was clearly in violation of the ‘No Impact Zone’ policy. This obviously became the joke of many conversations on our flight back to Punta Arenas, Chile.”

Vega ultimately only ran 8.7 miles barefoot. But he still completed the race in Antarctica with shoes. But he didn't include the mileage as part of his total for Guinness.

All of Vega's efforts were for a good cause. The endurance runner raised $12,366 for a program called Soles4Souls, which donates shoes and clothing to poverty-stricken areas of the world. He then partnered with Sketchers. The shoe company provided 12,366 brand new pairs of kicks to Vega's native country.



As for this year, Vega will continue running — but with shoes. He’ll try to qualify for the Boston Marathon.

“For 2015, I only have 20 marathons scheduled so far. I’m slowing down,” Vega chuckled.