Enter
Q&A
HUFFINGTON
08.05.12
CORY RICH
HINK ONE MARATHON is tough? Try
50, in 50 states, on 50
consecutive days. Dean
Karnazes has. He’s
also run 350 miles
in 82 straight hours,
raced in 120-degree
heat and in belowzero temperatures and
thinks 31 miles counts
as a short race. At 49,
Karnazes is the ultra,
ultra-marathoner and,
surprisingly, also kind
of a softy — proud of
anyone who laces up
their sneakers, gets out
there and runs.
—Catherine Pearson
First things first, why such long distances? To an extreme athlete,
there’s a certain appeal to doing extreme things — seeking the
most extreme physical challenges
in some of the most extreme climates in the world. Testing and
expanding the limits of human
endurance is kind of my thing.
What kind of training does that require?
I do a lot of marathons as training
runs. If I’m somewhere and there’s
a marathon, I’ll sign up and just go
run it. I’m also very opportunistic
in my training. If I’ve got half an
hour, I will throw on my running
shoes and train. I have my whole
office set up at waist level, I don’t
Quick break:
Karnazes
rests along
a trailside in
California