Gatineau man attempts world record half marathon in Crocs

A Gatineau man will be running in Ottawa Race Weekend, attempting to break the world record for running the fastest half marathon in crocs. CTV’s Dave Charbonne

Running a half marathon is hard enough, but one Gatineau man is making it even tougher. He’s attempting to break a world record in Crocs.

“I checked what the world record was for a half marathon, and it was like two hours and one minute,” said Radwan Makboul.

Makboul is lacing up for Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend, except the shoes he’s using have no laces.

“My goal is to try and beat the world record for the fastest time, for a half marathon in Crocs,” he said.

Makboul says this Guinness World Record attempt is about pushing boundaries and having fun. He trains in traditional shoes, but switches to Crocs to test if he’s ready.

“I do put like some good miles in on the Crocs just to kind of get used to it. But the majority of my training is just like with regular runners. And then I’ll run in Crocs to see if that’s kind of translating and if I’m trying to meet my goal,” he said.

“It’s going to be a challenge to say the least,” said Michael Vieira, executive director of Run Ottawa.

Makboul will be one of roughly 37,000 runners taking part in Ottawa Race Weekend, just in different footwear.

“Especially since it’s going to be a little wet this weekend. So, the traction might not be there. It will be a challenge. However, we’ve got a fast course and if the guy is fit, he’ll be able to do just fine,” Vieira added.

“It’s going to be interesting,” said Mark Arnott, Running Room event manager.

Even seasoned running experts are curious to see how it turns out.

“Who knows? It might work out for him. They’re not the most cushiony shoes in the world, but, you know, we’ll see what happens, I guess, on race day with them,” said Arnott.

Makboul is focused on the half marathon for now, but he’s already thinking about what might come next.

“Who knows, maybe in the future I might do a full marathon. But I feel like 42km is a bit too much,” said Makboul.

Makboul will make his world record attempt on Sunday morning at 9 a.m.

LISTEN: Radwan Makboul joins CFRA’s Ottawa at Work with Patricia Boal on May 23, 2025