You have to check this out (I don’t recommend watching it constantly, but go back for updates periodically).
There was a post earlier about this and I wanted to bring it up again. This is amazing. Dean Karnazes is going for the world record for running more than 153.76 miles on a treadmill. So far he has completed 93.30 miles in 14 hours and 40 minutes. He needs to go 60.46 more miles with 9 hours 20 minutes left. Looks like he can do it! http://www.accelerade.com/endurance-run/
The record won’t be ratified. He keeps holding on to the sides, which is not allowed by the ultra running rule books: http://www.recordholders.org/en/list/treadmill.html
While his perseverance is impressive, he is far from a world great ultra runner. Yannis Kouros, Scott Jurek, Matt Carpenter… would shell him at 100 mile plus races. He does find fantastic niche events to gain publicity with though. Dean won Badwater, but Jurek’s time is 3 hours faster a year later. Dean’s feats are also blown out of proportion, he was not the first person to run 50 marathons in 50 days, Terry Fox ran 23.3 miles a day average for 143 on one leg while cancer ravaged his body and without half the support network of Dean. Even his 350mile runs was nowhere close to Kouros’s records, http://www.yianniskouros.com/html/WRecords.htm.
While his philanthropic efforts are impressive and he has done a fantastic job at making a career from his endeavors, I will have to say that his accolades of “Greatest Runner in the World” by Outside magazine are not deserved and his records are more than questionable and self-made.
Barry, how many folks have won olympic gold medals, which means they were the best, but
could never get any sponsors. Personality is critical, and DEAN sure has it.
He’s close but in order to beat the record he has to pick up his pace…he ran on average 9:34 miles for the first 99 miles…he’ll need to drop that to 9:00 miles for the last 8 hours +…I’ve checked in a few times today…he looked much stronger earlier and he’s looking (obviously) a little tired now. It’s been a slow day at work…
this is right off the front page of the website: About Dean Karnazes
Dean Karnazes has been hailed as America’s best runner. From completing 50 marathons in 50 days to tackling a 200-mile relay race, alone. He is no stranger to endurance, physical fitness and nutrition. Oh, and we should mention that his resting heart rate is 39 bpm. We think that’s pretty incredible.
America’s best runner? I would have thought Dean would have asked that used a different description than that.
That said, I agree, he is a great athlete…not the best ultra-runner, no. …and yes, several have done things more impressive than he has. But, I find it hard to find fault with the guy for seeking new challenges, using his abilities to raise for money for worthy causes. If he makes a dollar for himself in the process, so be it. Good for him.
“Sort of. He is a very very good (but not top of the class) ultra runner who has done a better job than any of them at marketing himself.”
OR, people like HIM and approach HIM, and he’s saavy enough to know how and when to work it out.
I ran with him (all alone), personally, when he was doing his trans-con last year. (He only got halfway due to several factors - just having finished his 50/50 was a major factor in his fatigue, as well as coming in 5th in the World Championships 24 hr)… I asked him about this marketing thing. He replied:
“The come after ME. They ask ME what I like, and those people sponsor me. I just wanted to run, and it worked out”.
He’s a VERY VERY nice guy who says that he is NOT the world’s greatest ultrarunner. He doesn’t try to be. He knows that many ultrarunners don’t like him, and he thinks it’s a pity - but he also knows that many ultrarunners have a different personality than he does, so he gets attention. He’s very friendly. He’s saavy. He’s smart (his dad told me). He used to be in marketing. He’s only famous because he wrote a book - which (his Dad told me) took him 3 years and the whole family edited it.
Dean’s just smart enough not to let any egotism (or, as many lone athletes have: “anti-egotism”) go to his head. He works very hard at his running, training, etc.
If you met this guy on a lone road in the mountains of MD like I did, you’d be a ‘Team Dean’ fan also. (I wrote a story about it on my website: www.physicalmind.com/ultramarathonman.htm)
I’m proud that a guy in his mid-40’s is getting such attention on athletics and fitness. Most TV-“athletes” lose their careers at 30 or 35. Dean’s still going strong and promoting other good causes as he does it. Sure, he does feed his family on some of the sponsorship money, but wouldn’t you say, “I need $XYZ for my promotional fees to keep helping you. But I’ll work my ass off for you”.
Exactly…it’s pretty funny to see the people on some other forums going ballistic that no one else is talking about that. Hell, anyone could set the record if they could get a treamill that holds a fast enough speed and prop themselves up on the rails for long enough. It will be interesting to see what the spin will be frmo his camp if he “sets” the record and then it’s not ratified.
He keeps holding on to the sides, which is not allowed by the ultra running rule books:
