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50 marathons...50 states...in 50 days |
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Written by ASAP
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Friday, 02 June 2006 |
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 Dean Karnazes isn't much of a marathon fan, for one very scary reason.
"It always seemed like too much of a sprint for me," he said.
Throw on a superlative prefix, however, and Karnazes' eyes light up. The self-proclaimed "Ultramarathon Man" gets comfortable when the distance stretches into the triple-digits -- territory where distinctly fewer runners dare tread.
But Karnazes is planning to lower his standards this autumn in order to raise his sport's spot in the national consciousness. His goal: 50 marathons ... in 50 states ... over 50 consecutive days.
"It's never been done," Karnazes said. "I want to see if it can be done, to see what the limits of human endurance really are."
Karnazes (pronounced Kar-NAZZ-is) has put distance between himself and other runners by taking a familiar sport and elevating it to the level of spectacle, but he's never done anything quite like this. Unlike his 350-mile jog on a looped course in San Francisco last year, this trek will incorporate the serialism that we Americans seem to crave -- spanning 50 certified marathon courses, 1,310 miles of concrete, and over 27,000 miles of travel. He's training with Lance Armstrong's coach, Chris Carmichael.
The fun begins on Sept. 17 at the Lewis & Clark Marathon in St. Charles, Mo., and wraps up in fitting fashion at the New York Marathon on Nov. 5. The New York Road Runners even gave him No. 50.
"I'll either be in the best shape of my life or I'll be in a wheelchair," he said.
ONE GIANT JOG FOR MANKIND
Despite the exhausting schedule, a man of Karnazes' abilities should have little trouble running 26 miles a day at a 9-minute pace (about a 4-hour marathon). His fat percentage is lower than most federal interest rates (4.8 percent).
More likely, Karnazes will be a running billboard for a sport that has fallen out of favor with much of America.
"I want to issue a wake-up call," Karnazes said. "We need to take our health back. We've let our health slide, and I'm thinking we need to collectively lose about 10 pounds from our midsection."
And when he says collectively, that's an invitation. Anyone willing to pay a fee can run side-by-side with Karnazes during his stint in each city. He said that a portion of all registration fees will go to his Karno Kids foundation, which distributes dollars to various children organizations. He's specifically worried about child obesity -- more than a third of American children and adolescents are overweight, and 17 percent are obese, according to government figures.
Some of the money, however, will undoubtedly fund what The North Face, a corporate sponsor, has deemed an "expedition." Personal planes are not cheap, and the total budget for the 50-day event could push $1 million, according to Karnazes.
NOT EXACTLY A TRAIL BLAZER
Karnazes' resume may read like a Guiness Book of World Records (350 straight miles, a marathon on the South Pole, 135 miles in Death Valley), but he's not the first stunt man in distance running.
Hal Higdon, author of "Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide," said spectacles like this have been going on since the Bunion Derbies of the 1920s.
"It's a stunt, and I call it a stunt with all honor," Higdon said. "It's like Evil Knievel jumping across the Grand Canyon on a motorcycle."
Dave McGillivray, race director of the Boston Marathon, ran 3,452 miles across the country in 1978, piling up between 45 and 50 miles a day. He believes events like these are an important form of "shock therapy."
"It's bringing attention to our sport, and to health and fitness," McGillivray said. "It's a reminder to all of us: never underestimate your own ability. Sometimes you need inspiring moments to make a believer of yourself."
Unlike McGillivray's run 28 years ago, Karnazes has the advantage of cable television. He met with potential media sponsors in New York this week, and hinted that the run could turn into a reality series. With Carmichael at the helm, the event could even become a "50-day Tour de France" of sorts, he said.
Not bad for a sport that usually inspires dread.
"It's changing the rules, that's for sure," Karnazes said.
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FIND IT ONLINE
www.endurance50.com
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Otis Hart is an asap reporter based in New York. | |
I could do that...
Written by punkhorror on 2006-06-02 11:40:24
I could do that to but instead of marathon's I drink sodas, and instead of going to different states I would take a lunch break...I'm hardcore... |
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