Student runs half marathon in Crocs for charity

Mr Pople ran the half marathon in Crocs to raise money for Rainbows Hospice in Loughborough

A student who ran a half marathon in Crocs said it was "surprisingly more comfortable than he thought" and he only suffered "minimal blisters".

Keen runner Jalen Pople sported the foam footwear for the 13.1-mile (21.1 km) Robin Hood Half Marathon through Nottingham.

He said he did it to challenge himself and to raise money for the Rainbows Hospice in Loughborough.

"I thought, why don't I give it a punt with Crocs?" the 21-year-old said.

Mr Pople and the rest of his team raised about £1,277 for charity

"I've had Crocs for a while that I wore out of comfort.

"The odd time I've had to jog in them – as in, 200m to the car and back – I've thought, they're actually quite comfy underfoot," he said.

Mr Pople said a "lack of support" meant his knees, ankles and calves "took a bit of a beating" but his feet were left with "very minimal blisters".

"It was surprisingly more comfortable than I thought.

"I had a colleague who did it who had 10 times as many blisters even though he had trainers," he said.

'Sports mode'

Mr Pople said his girlfriend had barred him from wearing the shoes when they are out together as she thinks they're "horrendous" but he was granted an exemption for the run.

He also said he got a lot of comments, including many people asking if the shoes were in "sports mode".

"Sports mode" is a meme which refers to wearing the strap behind your ankle, for added grip and speed.

He believes his time of one hour, 42 minutes and 30 seconds broke the record for the fastest time a half-marathon has been run "wearing foam clogs".

The runner said he was now applying for a Guinness World Record.

He admitted he was unlikely to swap his trainers out permanently for running.

But he added: "It's given me an option.

"If I'm going on holiday and have to pack light, I won't be bringing my running shoes any more."

He and the rest of his team have raised about £1,277 for the charity.