Have you ever walked for too long in the wrong pair of shoes and felt aches and pains for the next few days? I have. Proper footwear is key to a healthy workout.
That's why runners are so picky about the shoes they wear when training for big races.
It's also why Benjamin Pachev is going viral when a photo of him finishing a mini-marathon surfaced online.
Pachev, an 18-year-old applied mathematics student, completed the marathon in 16th place with a time of 71:53. But it's not the time that's making people talk.
Do you see the problem?
Yep, that's right. Pachev is wearing CROCS to complete the marathon! CROCS!!
Pachev says it's not unusual for him to run in Crocs. In fact, he prefers it.
"It's like having a little fan that's just streaming air over your foot," Pachev told FOX-59. People look over at me and say what the heck are you thinking? [They're] so astonished be it because they're not thinking outside the box."
Apparently, the entire Pachev family trains and they all do it in Crocs.
Sasha Pachev, Benjamin's father, says the shoes actually make them run faster and are way cheaper than actual training shoes.
"Today, running is kind a sport for the rich almost, even though it should be the most available sport regardless of your income. If somebody really had that mission of making an affordable running shoe, so that everybody could run in it and perform well, I think it can be done."
Even Crocs the company caught wind of Benjamin's accomplishment and sent out their congratulations.
While there's no doubt in Benjamin's mind these shoes are made for running, I'm not so sure feet experts will agree.
What do you think?