Texas runner and social media mentor Dr TaMar Hicks has set a potential world record for running a half-marathon while handcuffed.
Hicks, of Grand Prairie, Texas, is currently awaiting for verification from Guinness World Records that his time of 1 hour, 20 minutes, 36 seconds at the Cowtown Marathon in the Fort Worth on Sunday is the new official record. If so, he will replace Boudewijn Dominicus in the record books – Dominicus ran the 2018 Manchester Half Marathon in the United Kingdom handcuffed in 1 hour 25 minutes and 19 seconds.
And no, there is no political message in Hicks’ decision to do some road running handcuffed; he says he did it for his mental health.
“No matter how chained down I feel to negative thoughts or to bad circumstances, I’ll always be able to overcome them,” says Hicks.
It was, in fact, Hicks’s second attempt to break the record at the Cowtown Marathon.
“The first time I did it,” Hicks told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, “I wasn’t in shape like I should be, so I really started running a lot more.”
But this time, he says, “I was thinking about all the people that were looking for me to break it, so I did it for them.”
While a seasoned runner he still had to adjust his style to run with handcuffs.
“I think the difference is, like, everything was in my legs. I really couldn’t use arms at all and that’s kind of weird.”
And his message to others with a goal in mind?
“When your backs are up against the wall, just know that you will come through. Just keep your head down, don’t worry about the negatives, and just keep your eyes on the prize.”
The Cowtown Marathon is actually a whole series of runs held annually, with – this year – the kids’ and adults’ 5K and 10K races held on Saturday, and the half, full and ultramarathon races held on Sunday. An estimated 40,000 runners and spectators attended the weekend events, with competitors from 14 counties and 50 states.
- The best road to trail running shoes 2024: footwear for all terrains
