Lost shoes and horrific foot burns be damned, Campbell University distance runner Evan Darm was going to finish his final college race.
At the Big South Outdoor Championships this weekend, Darm was two laps into the 5,000-meter when he lost one of his shoes. Instead of tapping out, Darm ran the final 10 laps of the race with a bare right foot.
It was an admirable feat of determination as Darm finished a respectable seventh. But it was not without consequence as Darm suffered second- and third-degree burns on his foot.
“Yesterday my shoe came off mid-race in the conference 5K around the mile mark,” Darm said.