At the recent Valencia Half Marathon, Russian runner Iskander Yadgarov wore Crocs to set the fastest half marathon in Crocs with a time of 1:09:03, averaging a 3:17 per kilometer pace, and finished 145th overall.

Although an American runner previously produced a notable Crocs performance in a half marathon — Benjamin Pachev and his father Sasha Pachev ran 1:06:33 and 1:17:26 respectively in a half marathon — Benjamin Pachev's result was not ratified because the course had too much downhill, so Iskander Yadgarov's time is currently the most widely recognized record.

This was not his first time racing in Crocs — in a 10K in Barcelona this May, he finished 10th in 31:18 (pace 3:07) wearing the same Crocs.

According to Iskander Yadgarov's Instagram, he had previously been racing and training in thick-soled carbon-plated shoes, and this year Crocshave begun to feature in his running. After breaking the world record in Valencia,Iskander Yadgarov even used a Croc as a drinking cup, poured in the celebratory wine and downed it in one go.

Iskander Yadgarov producing such an astonishing result while wearing Crocs stems from his strong ability. He has won the Moscow Marathon twice; his best half marathon is 1:02:35, and his marathon PB is 2:14:07.

Iskander Yadgarov's breaking a world record while wearing Crocs is, on one hand, a fun addition to the sport; on the other hand, it's a reminder that while using running gear wisely can help, our own ability is the most important factor in determining results—improving yourself is the bottom line.

Finally, have you ever raced wearing Crocs? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.