(Crazy)Ultramarathoner To Run Fifty Marathons In Fifty Days

FSTargetDrone · Post by **FSTargetDrone** » 2006-04-23 01:58pm

And he wants to run each marathon in each of the fifty states:

Posted on Sun, Apr. 23, 2006

This Way Up | Marathon? Not nearly enough

There's no stopping Dean Karnazes: He's training to run 50 marathons in 50 days.

By Art Carey

Inquirer Columnist

The first thing you notice about Dean Karnazes is his teeth. They are perfect and blindingly white, thanks to his wife, Julie, a dentist. She straightened and bleached them.

Julie has been married to Dean for nearly 18 years; they were high school sweethearts. That may be why she describes him as merely "determined and driven," when other adjectives come to mind.

Dean, 43, is an ultramarathoner. An ultramarathoner is someone who considers a marathon (26.2 miles) a warm-up. In 2004, Dean won the Badwater Ultramarathon, "the world's toughest footrace," in Death Valley, Calif. Dean ran 135 miles, in heat that hit 127 degrees, in 27 hours and 22 minutes.

I met Dean last year when he came from San Francisco to promote his book, Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of An All-Night Runner. We took a trot along Kelly Drive. He amazed me when he told me what he planned to do next: run 300 miles nonstop. Imagine running from here to Pittsburgh. Driving that far is exhausting.

In October, Dean exceeded his goal. Tracing a big loop in northern California, he covered 350 miles. He stopped only four times - to change his shoes.

A few weeks ago, Dean was back in town. Again, we went for a run along Kelly Drive and again, he amazed me when he told me his next goal.

In the fall, he intends to run 50 marathons in 50 states on 50 consecutive days. Yes, you read that correctly.

He will begin on Sept. 17 with the Lewis & Clark Marathon in St. Charles, Mo. He will end on Nov. 5 with the New York Marathon. He will be here on Friday, Nov. 3, to run the course of the Philadelphia Marathon (which takes place Nov. 19). He'll be running with an escort, and any and all local runners who wish to join him, Dean said, are welcome.

The hardback edition of Dean's book sold 100,000 copies and was printed in 10 languages. On the Economist magazine's list of best-selling sports books worldwide in 2005, it placed No. 7. Among Amazon's top-selling sports books last year, it ranked No. 5.

The book's popularity astonished Dean.

"I thought if 10 of my buddies bought it, I'd be lucky," he said. "It's about running as a metaphor for human potential - the idea of pursuing something you love, immersing yourself in it totally, and pushing yourself as far as you can. It's inspirational."

The paperback edition of Ultramarathon Man is hot off the presses. It features an epilogue with Dean's diet and training tips. (Samples: Eating protein during prolonged intense activity seems to reduce muscle damage and speed recovery. To bounce back from a marathon, run the next day - even if you hobble only a couple of miles - and drink lots of water.)

Dean, who writes a column for Men's Health, eats salmon four to five days a week. He doesn't eat cake, even on his kids' birthday. His one dietary vice is coffee, an addiction he happily indulges.

His body is lean, not surprising for a long-distance runner. But what is surprising is his torso; it's muscular and well-developed. Dean is a big believer in cross-training. He surfs, windsurfs and mountain-bikes.

"I've never suffered a running-related injury," he writes, "and I think part of the reason is that I've conditioned my entire body by doing more than just running."

Dean visits the gym a few times a week, especially when he's traveling on business (he owns an organic- and all-natural-foods company). Using dumbbells, he focuses on his chest, biceps and shoulders. He also does pull-ups (six sets of 12), dips (three sets of 30), and crunches (four sets of 90). On days when he can't get to the gym, he does four sets of 50 push-ups and four sets of 90 sit-ups - once in the morning and once in the evening.

When he's ramping up for an ultra, Dean runs at least 70 to 100 miles a week, 10 to 15 miles a day.

This prompted me to call Julie at her dental office in San Francisco. "How do you live with this maniac?"

"I get asked that all the time," she said, laughing.

Truth is, she's used to Dean's fanatical ways. Plus, she knew exactly what she was getting into. In high school, Dean was so bent on making the varsity volleyball team he practiced setting the ball for hours, she recalled.

"He won't accept anything but the best," she said.

She and Dean have a policy: When they're together, they're together. Family time is inviolate - no work, no running, no other distractions.

Dean is single-minded but not selfish, Julie said. He schedules his training to minimize family disruption.

He rises at 4 a.m. and runs for three hours before taking their two children to school and heading to the office. After work, he tries to go for another "quick" run of 45 minutes to an hour. On Saturdays, he logs a 30- to 40-miler, again rising at 4 a.m. so he's home early enough to have ample time for the family.

Julie, 43, told me of another ritual. Some Friday nights, after tucking in the kids, Dean laces on his running shoes and heads north to the quaint Napa Valley town of Calistoga. He runs through the night, covering 60 to 90 miles, depending on what route he takes. He meets the family for breakfast and maybe a swim or a dip in the hot springs.

"It's nice," Julie said. "We get out of town and have some family time together. And we get him back 100 percent because he's had a nice long training run."

In my 20s, I ran several 50-mile races. I know how the body feels afterward. No one was going to get "100 percent" of me because 90 percent of me wanted to lie down and go to sleep. But then I'm merely human.

"It's pretty full-on," Dean admits, "but I wouldn't trade it for the world."

"Full-on"? That's one way to describe it.

1310 miles total, for those keeping score. Eep. It will be interesting indeed if he makes it.

FSTargetDrone · Post by **FSTargetDrone** » 2006-04-23 01:59pm

Aw crap, I mistyped... He's not the dentist, his wife is. Can someone change the headline to "writer"? Thanks.

Metatwaddle · Post by **Metatwaddle** » 2006-04-23 02:04pm

Wow. That... is fucking insane. I hope he makes it, but it really does sound like a superhuman goal.

I'm not really sure there are established marathons in all fifty states, though. Like Delaware (where I am).

Post by **Mr Bean** » 2006-04-23 02:31pm

Fixed. Acutal fixed agian.

FSTargetDrone · Post by **FSTargetDrone** » 2006-04-23 02:43pm

Mr Bean wrote:Fixed. Acutal fixed agian.

Even better. Thanks.

BlkbrryTheGreat · Post by **BlkbrryTheGreat** » 2006-04-23 03:42pm

He's pratically begging for footstrike hemolysis.

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2006-04-23 03:45pm

Let’s see superjogger boy go and run one fifty day marathon through all fifty states

Pint0 Xtreme · Post by **Pint0 Xtreme** » 2006-04-23 03:57pm

Run, Forest! Run!

Falkenhayn · Post by **Falkenhayn** » 2006-04-23 04:34pm

Yes, snide comments from those of use who wish we were in a 100th of the cardiovascular shape this guy is.

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2006-04-23 05:00pm

Falkenhayn wrote:Yes, snide comments from those of use who wish we were in a 100th of the cardiovascular shape this guy is.

Sorry see as a human I evolved to have a very smart brain, not physical prowess. I'm quite happy with the situation and in any case this guy wouldn't be doing this without modern running shoes.

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2006-04-23 05:33pm

Plus, I bet in a few years will be geneering such traits that will absolutely crap on from a great height the "athletes" we have today. Drugs are one thing, but I'd love to see a human engineered human, as is the threat to future sports.

LongVin · Post by **LongVin** » 2006-04-24 01:00am

Who wants to bet this guys knees will be shot in a few years if not sooner.

LauraG · Post by **LauraG** » 2006-04-24 01:45am

Sea Skimmer wrote:<snip> this guy wouldn't be doing this without modern running shoes.

Terry Fox did pretty much that one two old-fashioned tennis shoes, one of them attached to a very low-tech above-knee artificial leg, in the 70's.

Sriad · Post by **Sriad** » 2006-04-24 04:52am

Sea Skimmer wrote:
Falkenhayn wrote:Yes, snide comments from those of use who wish we were in a 100th of the cardiovascular shape this guy is.
Sorry see as a human I evolved to have a very smart brain, not physical prowess. I'm quite happy with the situation and in any case this guy wouldn't be doing this without modern running shoes.

So what you're saying is you're more of a NASCAR fan?

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2006-04-24 07:13am

Skimmer said he has a smart brain. I'm thinking that excludes him from the NASCAR following.

His Divine Shadow · Post by **His Divine Shadow** » 2006-04-24 07:23am

Admiral Valdemar wrote:Plus, I bet in a few years will be geneering such traits that will absolutely crap on from a great height the "athletes" we have today. Drugs are one thing, but I'd love to see a human engineered human, as is the threat to future sports.

Hell I'd love to take these treatments. Not so I can be a great athlete but just be a slob and stay in shape real easily. I wanna eat my cake and keep it.

Well..Atleast we can hope for a culture like future society.

Metatwaddle · Post by **Metatwaddle** » 2006-04-24 01:59pm

Sea Skimmer wrote:
Falkenhayn wrote:Yes, snide comments from those of use who wish we were in a 100th of the cardiovascular shape this guy is.
Sorry see as a human I evolved to have a very smart brain, not physical prowess. I'm quite happy with the situation and in any case this guy wouldn't be doing this without modern running shoes.

Smart brain, not physical prowess? They're not mutually exclusive, you know. This guy may be a bit psycho, but I happen to know some very intelligent marathoners.

Jalinth · Post by **Jalinth** » 2006-04-24 02:37pm

Discombobulated wrote: Sorry see as a human I evolved to have a very smart brain, not physical prowess. I'm quite happy with the situation and in any case this guy wouldn't be doing this without modern running shoes.

Smart brain, not physical prowess? They're not mutually exclusive, you know. This guy may be a bit psycho, but I happen to know some very intelligent marathoners.[/quote]

I know for some marathoners, they are close to being addicted to running. I'd assume it is similar to this guy. He might be simply addicted to the high he gets.

As far as intelligence, I've met a number of serious runners who are university faculty members, senior lawyers, or otherwise have a serious education behind them. While I think that ultramarathoners are insane (marathoners are bad enough), that doesn't mean they aren't intelligent.