When we think of superheroes, we think of larger-than-life, muscular guys in capes who fly in the sky.
This Pinoy hero is an average guy, can’t fly, has no cape, but he runs… barefoot at that.
Many of us can’t even last 10 seconds walking on a hot pavement or sand on a summer day– that is some serious superhuman strength right there.
Just imagine all the cuts and blisters on your feet from stepping on hot pavement, gravel, and jagged rocks– but this man does it all.
This is Eddie Vega, a Pinoy marathon legend. Like all superheroes, he has a superhero name: “The Barefoot Bandito”.
He holds a Guinness World Record for “Most Barefoot Marathon Runs in One Year” for running 101 marathons barefoot in 2014. He is currently the only person in the world to complete over a hundred marathon in a year without shoes.
That was last year. Today, Eddie Vega has run barefoot not just once, but 129 times— including a full marathon in all 50 states in the United States, in ALL 7 continents and over 15 countries around the world. Talk about going wherever your feet take you!
But like all superheroes, Eddie doesn’t just utilize his superpower and run barefoot because of the records or the fame, he does it for the greater good.
300 million children from all over the world, including the Philippines, walk the streets without shoes. Eddie’s barefoot runs are meant to spread awareness about poverty in the Philippines, especially children who walk barefoot to school and are at risk of contracting serious illnesses like tuberculosis and parasitic infections, from the wounds, cuts and burns they get without any shoes.
As a child in the Philippines Eddie would run around barefoot to fit in with his playmates who could not afford to buy shoes. Eddie himself contracted hookworms and became infected with tuberculosis after stepping on a neighbor’s blood spit who had the disease. He considers himself lucky because had he not immigrated to Guam, he probably would not have survived, and he was fortunate that Guam had modern facilities to cure him of his disease.
That experience as a child shaped his advocacy to what it is today. According to Eddie, it all started as a dare when he decided to run barefoot at his 50th marathon, and it got him a lot of attention, and he even felt like a rockstar! With all eyes on him, he realized that he could use that attention to bring awareness to something even bigger than himself. Wow!
His stint has since been taken notice of people around the world, raising awareness on poor Filipino children who walk barefoot.
Watch the video here to see how he does it:
Oh, and you can also check out more of this barefoot-running marathon hero on https://www.wuheroesforbetter.org/.
Like Eddie, there are other Pinoy superheroes who perform superhuman feats for the benefit of their kababayans in the Philippines. Western Union’s campaign, “Heroes for Better” is one such initiative that is showcasing to the world the value that migrants bring to their communities and promoting their advocacy. The concept behind the project is to provide a platform that celebrates the stories of the likes of Eddie Vega.
Check out https://www.wuheroesforbetter.org for more info.
What do you think of this Pinoy “superhero”? Can you run over a hundred marathons barefoot?
