Karnazes: To Run 50 Marathon Courses in 50 States in 50 Days!

When I was at the world-famous Powell's Bookstore in Portland, Oregon, I picked up an out-of-print book on the Boston Marathon (copyright was 1976, I believe) as well as an autographed paperback of Dean Karnazes' book, "Ultramarathon Man."

I saw him at the Runner's World booth at the New York City Marathon Expo, but didn't stop and speak to him at all. He was autographing book copies there (which was only in hard copy then). Everybody that I've heard talked (including Laura Yasso in Little Rock) and read about him has been very positive.

On a post card-like card in his paperback, there is a promotional piece about Karnazes doing 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days or as his sponsor calls it, "The North Face Endurance 50," beginning Sunday, September 17, 2006 at the Lewis & Clark Marathon in St. Charles, Missouri.

To the average runner like you and me, this would be a herculean task.

For somebody like Karnazes who has done the following: running 350 miles in 80 hours & 44 minutes, mountain biking for 24 hours straight, swimming across the San Francisco Bay, running across Death Valley in the middle of summer, running a marathon to the South Pole and winning the Badwater Ultramarathon: The World’s Toughest Footrace, this latest effort almost borders on the ordinary!

But, in actuality, it appears that Karnazes will really only be running 8 "official" marathons and 42 long training runs. Here are the actual events that Karnazes currently has on his schedule:

9/17/06 - Lewis & Clark Marathon, St. Charles, Missouri
9/24/06 - Boulder Backroads Marathon, Boulder, Colorado
10/1/06 - Portland Marathon, Portland, Oregon
10/7/06 - St. George Marathon, St. George, Utah
10/14/06 - Hartford Marathon, Hartford, Connecticut
10/22/06 - Chicago Marathon, Chicago, Illinois
10/29/06 - Marine Corps Marathon, Washington, DC
11/5/06 - New York City Marathon, New York City, New York

In fact, in a story in today's online edition of Portland's "The Oregonian," it states that, "Only eight of them will be "live races" with other runners, and one of those is the Portland Marathon on Oct. 1. In most states he'll run a regular marathon course by himself or with anyone who wants to join him."

According to Steve Boone of the 50 States Marathon Club, there have only been five (5) individuals to have ever run 50 marathons in 50 states in one (1) calendar year. They are as follows:

Rick Worley (Texas) -- 1997, 1998, 1999
Tony Lopetrone -- 1997
Nancy Broadbridge -- 1997
Larry Macon (Texas) -- 2005
Craig Holcomb (Ohio) -- 2005

The mission of the event, according to The North Face Endurance 50 web site, is to "encourage, motivate and inspire people of all ages to become active, make physical wellness an essential and enjoyable priority in their lives and to promote healthy, active living across this great country."

Karnazes told KGO-TV on March 13th that "We're facing an epidemic in obesity and inactivities with our youth. I want to promote fitness and health and enjoying the outdoors."

An interview with Karnazes in the Lansing (MI) State Journal can be found here.