At the age of 87 in barefoot shoes for the half marathon

We all want to run away from old age. Engelbert Müller does it very simply! He is 87 years old. His hobby is running half marathons. In leguano barefoot shoes, of course:
leguano: Mr. Müller, how long have you been doing your sport, how long have you been running (half) marathons?
Engelbert Müller: Since 1997, I ran my first half marathon on May 7th, 2000. This was followed by 26 more half marathon runs.
leguano: You don't do that on the fly. How often and how long do you train? What is your training like?
Engelbert Müller: I have to differentiate between before Corona and during Corona. Before Corona 3x a week, during Corona 1x a week, since there are no competitions and my weaker self whispers to me that I don't have to run at all when the weather is bad. The weaker self would not have stood a chance before Corona.
leguano: You outperform a lot younger people – how do you manage that (at your age)?
Engelbert Müller: I keep fit with gymnastics and have the ambition to overtake some of the runners in front of me in competitions.
leguano: How long have you been training / running in leguano? How did you come across leguano?
Engelbert Müller: I have been training and running in Leguano since 2017. At a marathon trade fair in Hanover in 2016, one of your area managers, whom I knew from running, drew my attention to the barefoot shoes. I immediately bought the active yellow one.
leguano: Which model do you use for your competitions?
Engelbert Müller: In the warm season I ran with the aktiv yellow , in the cold season with the kosmo black and since May 6, 2021 with the city blue .
leguano: What is your biggest success so far? Is there a competition that you are particularly proud of?Engelbert Müller: My greatest success: 5th place in my age group at the German Half Marathon Championships in Hanover in 2018, run with an active yellow . I'm particularly proud of my first marathon in Berlin on September 10, 2000 at the age of 66. It was the turn of the century and millennium and a run through the Brandenburg Gate. I didn't have a running watch and just started running. My time 04:00:06 hours . With a watch I would have managed the 6 seconds. I actually only wanted to run one marathon, but 11 more followed.
leguano: How else do you keep fit?
Engelbert Müller: Every morning before breakfast I do about 45 minutes of gymnastics and stretching exercises and work out on my home trainer. After breakfast, I walk my dog ​​about 3.5 km through fields and woods every day, whatever the weather.
leguano: when/what is your next championship?
Engelbert Müller: I don't have any plans yet because I don't know what will happen next with Corona.
leguano: What makes the leguanos so special for you?
Engelbert Müller: The iguanos woke my foot muscles from their slumber. I had flat feet and have worn insoles for decades. Some time ago it was noticed that my left leg is shorter than the right one, so I got new insoles again, which were slightly higher on the left foot to compensate for the shorter leg. After a few days I left them off because I couldn't walk properly with them. With the iguanos, my arch has now totally recovered and there is no longer any sign of flat feet. My posture has also improved thanks to the iguanos.
leguano: What is different in leguanos than in "conventional sports shoes"?
Engelbert Müller: I have a completely different feeling on the ground in iguanos. I notice every surface and my foot muscles can adjust to it. If I twist my ankle with a normal sports shoe, injuries can easily occur because the stiff edge then presses on the foot, which is completely different with the iguanos. The soft edge gives way more easily and there are fewer injuries.
leguano: Do ​​you also wear the leguanos “outside” of sporting activities?
Engelbert Mueller:In the beginning, I never wore the iguanos for sports, only when I walked my dog ​​and when I went shopping. I had special sports shoes for the tartan track, for running on asphalt and for forest and meadow paths. I always wore the sports shoes with insoles and often had problems with my calf muscles. In 2017, a physiotherapist recommended that I leave out the insoles in my shoes. That was the beginning of the sporting use of the Leguano shoes. My thought was that if I leave out the insoles, then I can also try to walk in barefoot shoes. At first I trained on the track to get used to the shoes when doing sports. After everything went well, I then ran the competitions and training runs with the iguanos.
leguano: Many leguano wearers report that they have noticed positive health effects through and with the barefoot shoes. Is it the same for you (for example, do you run faster, easier, less problems with your knees, hips, back, etc.)?
Engelbert Müller: I can't say that I run faster with barefoot shoes. As you get older, you always slow down a bit. Since there are no competitions now, I can only participate in virtual runs and since I always run alone, it is difficult to judge how fast I could run in a real competition. In any case, I run easier and if I ever have problems with my knees or hips, it goes away very quickly when I run.
leguano: What is your motivation?
Engelbert Müller: My motivation is mainly to do something for my health and to keep myself mobile even in old age. Also measuring myself against others in athletic competitions in running competitions.
leguano: Where do you get your energy from? What makes you so persistent?
Engelbert Müller: Endurance comes from years of training. I get my energy from my morning gymnastics and relaxation training and from a positive and healthy lifestyle and diet.
leguano: Would you recommend leguanos for your sport or in general?
Engelbert Müller: I can highly recommend the leguanos in general and for sport. You should just dare to try out the barefoot shoes.
leguano: Finish the sentence: They wear leguanos because ….
​Engelbert Müller: ….I only wear iguanos anymore because they are not only good for my feet, but also for my health.

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