The Barefoot Dutchman
Anton Nootenboom aka “The Barefoot Dutchman”
In 2018, Anton was a very broken man, lost and with no focus. He had served three missions in Afghanistan, then worked in a very masculine industry doing work he hated and went through a terrible relationship breakdown. He had hit what he calls his bottom.
“I knew I had to change my situation, there was only one person who could do that, me!”
All this led to him starting his own mission of walking barefoot, initially in 2019 doing base camp Mount Everest and then in May 2021, the 4.5 million steps from Cairns to Manly in support of mental fitness and Gotcha4Life.
On October 17, 2021, Anton walked into Manly with a crew of supporters cheering him on. He had walked 3,019km barefoot and not only succeeded to raise close to $60,000, he had also stepped into the Guinness World Records as the longest nonstop barefoot walker ever and in doing so, highlighted the importance of reaching out, having vulnerable conversations and a village of people to support you when times are tough.
Over the 163 days Anton had over 1,000 conversations with passers-by making an immense impact on so many people's lives.
Gotcha4Life warmly welcomes Anton to the Gotcha Family. We are excited to have Anton involved in our future programs and hope that you get the opportunity to have a chat with this unique and truly genuine human being.
For more information about Anton Nootenboom head to his webpage here
