Last week at the 2024 Chicago Marathon, Curtis Hargrove stood out from the trail of runners — not for his speed, but for his footwear.
While running the grueling 26.2-mile race in 3-inch red heels, Hargrove remained focused on his mission. The 35-year-old Canadian set out to run the marathon for a good cause: raising awareness for women and children affected by domestic violence.
Speaking to TODAY.com, Hargrove explained what he hoped to accomplish with his run.
“I made a promise that I was going to attempt a Guinness World Record for fastest marathon in high heels by a male to support women and children who suffered from domestic violence,” he says.
Before the event, Hargrove partnered with Stepping Stones Crisis Society, an organization advocating for women and children affected by domestic abuse.
In an email statement to TODAY.com, the organization said it was “grateful for the awareness it will bring on gender-based violence.”
Having run 310 marathons (many for charity), the Chicago Marathon was far from Hargrove’s first attempt at breaking a record, but this one proved to be particularly challenging—especially in heels.
“COVID happened, races went virtual, and I didn’t really want to do it without the crowd and the people, so I waited,” he says. “And then I saw from Guinness World Records that my application was rejected.”
Hargrove learned that someone from the U.K. had already set the record at 5 hours and 13 minutes. Determined to try again, Hargrove ran 6 kilometers (nearly 4 miles) in one race before snapping a heel, and in another race made it 21 kilometers (approximately 13 miles) before his heel broke again.
Resolute, Hargrove turned to friends for a solution.
“I went back to the drawing board, and I got my buddies to actually weld my high heels on the bottom so that they wouldn’t break,” he explains to TODAY.com. “And that’s what led us to the Chicago Marathon.”
Hargrove says he didn’t need any special preparation for the high heels challenge.
“I didn’t do any special prep, but it was a mental game. I’ve done over 300 marathons, so I knew I could finish, but my concern was if the high heels would hold up,” he says.
Hargrove began the race with a good stride and says he did his “first 5 kilometer split in 27 minutes.”
“And then I was at 10 kilometers in 58 minutes,” he continues. “So I was on pace to beat the record by over an hour and a half.”
Soon enough, the challenges of running in heels—the constant pressure on the balls of his feet, the fabric digging into his toes, and pain shooting up his calves with each unsteady step—began to take a toll.
“Then I started to get blisters on the bottom of my feet, and by kilometer 25, I had to take the heels off, get my feet bandaged up.”
That's when Hargrove had to dig deep.
“I reminded myself why I was doing it: raising awareness for these women and children,” he says. “The blisters and the pain that I was going through is nothing compared to what these women and children go through every day.”
As Curtis made his way through the marathon course, people shared their own stories of domestic violence with him, including one woman who he says “survived 17 years of it.”
“I’ve had women tell me that seeing my story makes them question their view on men, changing their view just because of this one act that I did for them,” he reveals.
Finally, after 26.2 miles, Hargrove reached the finish line, completing the race in 7 hours and 5 minutes.
By the end, his feet were battered and covered in blisters, his skin was peeling, and he was bleeding. He recalls how marathon organizers had him brought to an emergency services tent where his skin was taken care of with ointment and bandaged.
Reflecting on the support he received from friends and spectators along the way, Hargrove said the pain was all worth it in the end.
“I just want to thank everybody from the bottom of my heart that supported me on this journey,” he says.
Last week at the 2024 Chicago Marathon, Curtis Hargrove stood out from the trail of runners — not for his speed, but for his footwear.
While running the grueling 26.2-mile race in 3-inch red heels, Hargrove remained focused on his mission. The 35-year-old Canadian set out to run the marathon for a good cause: raising awareness for women and children affected by domestic violence.
Speaking to TODAY.com, Hargrove explained what he hoped to accomplish with his run.
“I made a promise that I was going to attempt a Guinness World Record for fastest marathon in high heels by a male to support women and children who suffered from domestic violence,” he says.
Before the event, Hargrove partnered with Stepping Stones Crisis Society, an organization advocating for women and children affected by domestic abuse.
In an email statement to TODAY.com, the organization said it was “grateful for the awareness it will bring on gender-based violence.”
Having run 310 marathons (many for charity), the Chicago Marathon was far from Hargrove’s first attempt at breaking a record, but this one proved to be particularly challenging—especially in heels.
“COVID happened, races went virtual, and I didn’t really want to do it without the crowd and the people, so I waited,” he says. “And then I saw from Guinness World Records that my application was rejected.”
Hargrove learned that someone from the U.K. had already set the record at 5 hours and 13 minutes. Determined to try again, Hargrove ran 6 kilometers (nearly 4 miles) in one race before snapping a heel, and in another race made it 21 kilometers (approximately 13 miles) before his heel broke again.
Resolute, Hargrove turned to friends for a solution.
“I went back to the drawing board, and I got my buddies to actually weld my high heels on the bottom so that they wouldn’t break,” he explains to TODAY.com. “And that’s what led us to the Chicago Marathon.”
Hargrove says he didn’t need any special preparation for the high heels challenge.
“I didn’t do any special prep, but it was a mental game. I’ve done over 300 marathons, so I knew I could finish, but my concern was if the high heels would hold up,” he says.
Hargrove began the race with a good stride and says he did his “first 5 kilometer split in 27 minutes.”
“And then I was at 10 kilometers in 58 minutes,” he continues. “So I was on pace to beat the record by over an hour and a half.”
Soon enough, the challenges of running in heels—the constant pressure on the balls of his feet, the fabric digging into his toes, and pain shooting up his calves with each unsteady step—began to take a toll.
“Then I started to get blisters on the bottom of my feet, and by kilometer 25, I had to take the heels off, get my feet bandaged up.”
That's when Hargrove had to dig deep.
“I reminded myself why I was doing it: raising awareness for these women and children,” he says. “The blisters and the pain that I was going through is nothing compared to what these women and children go through every day.”
As Curtis made his way through the marathon course, people shared their own stories of domestic violence with him, including one woman who he says “survived 17 years of it.”
“I’ve had women tell me that seeing my story makes them question their view on men, changing their view just because of this one act that I did for them,” he reveals.
Finally, after 26.2 miles, Hargrove reached the finish line, completing the race in 7 hours and 5 minutes.
By the end, his feet were battered and covered in blisters, his skin was peeling, and he was bleeding. He recalls how marathon organizers had him brought to an emergency services tent where his skin was taken care of with ointment and bandaged.
Reflecting on the support he received from friends and spectators along the way, Hargrove said the pain was all worth it in the end.
“I just want to thank everybody from the bottom of my heart that supported me on this journey,” he says.