999 marathons in 29 years, true or false?

Quoted message said:

Does anyone think it is possible to run 999 marathons in 29 years?

This

Quoted message said:

numbnut who organized a 3k near here in Agawam, claimed in the
newspaper that he's run 999 marathons in 29 years. I say [censored]!
IMPOSSIBLE! What do you guys think?

He could mean that he's run 26.2 * 999 miles in 29 years, in other
words the /distance/ of 999 marathons. 🙂

Or he could be an ultra runner who puts in a 26+ mile training run
every week, 52 weeks a year. You can legitimately call such a training
run a marathon.

Quoted message said:

He could mean that he's run 26.2 * 999 miles in 29 years, in other

words the /distance/ of 999 marathons.>

Negative. He also claims to have run something like a total of 100,000
miles total. That number is only a guess, but the actual amount listed
in the article was equally ridiculous.

Quoted message said:

Or he could be an ultra runner who puts in a 26+ mile training run

every week, 52 weeks a year. You can legitimately call such a training
run a marathon.>

He claims he has the races listed that he's run over the years, so this
is supposedly documented. However I think the reporter could've checked
the facts before publishing this.

Wouldn't that be a marathon every other week (actually a higher rate than
that)?

There are these strange breeds out there that run a marathon a week for a
year. It has been written up in Runnersworld, etc.

If it really bothers you, call him up and ask to see the evidence.
<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Does anyone think it is possible to run 999 marathons in 29 years? This
numbnut who organized a 3k near here in Agawam, claimed in the
newspaper that he's run 999 marathons in 29 years. I say [censored]!
IMPOSSIBLE! What do you guys think?

Sam said:

Wouldn't that be a marathon every other week (actually a higher rate

than

Quoted message said:

that)?

There are these strange breeds out there that run a marathon a week

for a

Quoted message said:

year. It has been written up in Runnersworld, etc.

Ok I can buy that, but one a week for 29 years as this guy claims?
Sounds ridiculous to me.

Quoted message said:

If it really bothers you, call him up and ask to see the evidence.

I'm thinking about doing that in a few days, but first I thought I'd
kick it around here to see if real runners think it's even remotely
possible. Then when the opions are in, I'll call and we'll see if we're
right.
BTW, the article was in "The Republican" a large regional paper in this
area, so I'm quite sure someone here has seen the article too.

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

BTW, the article was in "The Republican" a large regional paper in
this
area, so I'm quite sure someone here has seen the article too.

Was it written by 'republican' majority man Tom Delay? Yup, a lie or
he paid someone to tell the lie. 😉
-DF

Quoted message said:

Does anyone think it is possible to run 999 marathons in 29 years? This
numbnut who organized a 3k near here in Agawam, claimed in the
newspaper that he's run 999 marathons in 29 years. I say [censored]!
IMPOSSIBLE! What do you guys think?

Well, I suppose if he averaged 903 miles a year over that time, it would be
"the equivalent of" 999 marathons in 29 years ... (-;

Cheers,
--
Donovan Rebbechi
http://pegasus.rutgers.edu/~elflord/

Donovan Rebbechi said:

Well, I suppose if he averaged 903 miles a year over that time, it

would be

Quoted message said:

"the equivalent of" 999 marathons in 29 years ... (-;

Cheers,
--
Donovan Rebbechi
http://pegasus.rutgers.edu/~elflord/

He CLAIMS to have run actual marathons, not the equivelent. I don't
think you could find a marathon every weekend within a reasonable
distance.

Quoted message said:

He CLAIMS to have run actual marathons, not the equivelent. I don't
think you could find a marathon every weekend within a reasonable
distance.

Actually he would have to average a little under 35 a year. While that
might seem like a lot, it isn't out of the realm of possibility. It
isn't unheard of of folks doing 2 in a weekend and one every week.
There's a big difference between running a marathon and racing a
marathon. Lots of folks do marathon distance training runs every week so
the only real obstacle to doing that many marathons would be
availability and the money to do them. To keep it up for 29 years is
really the only question. For a reference point see the Marathon Maniacs
website at: http://maniacs.marathonguide.com/scoreCard.cfm

--
- The Trailrunner

Anti-Spam Alert: If you wish to reply, cut the *BS*

Trails of the Diablo Valley
*Running - Hiking - Nature*
http://www.geocities.com/yosemite/trails/6016/

Quoted message said:

He CLAIMS to have run actual marathons, not the equivelent. I don't
think you could find a marathon every weekend within a reasonable
distance.

What is a reasonable distance probably depends on how keen you are to
add another marathon to your tally, but I´d be truly, truly surprised
if there isn´t a marathon within an entirely drivable distance from
Massachusetts on more than 40 weekends of the year.

You can easily check both the availability of marathon races (in any
state) and the credentials of the man (from 2000 to 2005) at:
http://www.marathonguide.com

(BTW I`d have placed Agawam somehere in Mississippi, it sounds like it
should be somewhere in Faulkner country...)

FWIW a rate of 40 marathons a year is rather lame compared to the guys
at the top of the game: 69-year old Horst Preisler of Germany who has
finished (as of September) 1350 marathon races since 1974, but his rate
has been 60-80 races (including a few short ultras), and the runner-up
at 1004 (as of March) since, 61-year old Kalevi Saukkonen of Finland,
is averaging 50-60.

(The Finn is, like, really really slow and has AFAIK never ran a
decent-enough-for-Donovan time, but the German´s PB from 1984 is 2:54,
not bad for a 49-year-old.)

Anders

Quoted message said:

Actually he would have to average a little under 35 a year. While that

might seem like a lot, it isn't out of the realm of possibility. It
isn't unheard of of folks doing 2 in a weekend and one every week.
There's a big difference between running a marathon and racing a
marathon. Lots of folks do marathon distance training runs every week
so
the only real obstacle to doing that many marathons would be
availability and the money to do them. To keep it up for 29 years is
really the only question. For a reference point see the Marathon
Maniacs
website at: http://maniacs.marathonguide.c­om/scoreCard.cfm>

Well I'll go at this with an open mind, and see if the lil weasel
actually did that many marathons. Now, if I could just remember his
name...
Thanks for the link.

Quoted message said:

BTW I`d have placed Agawam somehere in Mississippi, it sounds like it

should be somewhere in Faulkner country...>

Try Springfield Mass.

Quoted message said:

FWIW a rate of 40 marathons a year is rather lame compared to the guys

at the top of the game: 69-year old Horst Preisler of Germany who has
finished (as of September) 1350 marathon races since 1974, but his rate

has been 60-80 races (including a few short ultras), and the runner-up
at 1004 (as of March) since, 61-year old Kalevi Saukkonen of Finland,
is averaging 50-60.>

Well I guess it's possible then. I'm still skeptical.

I say, he's a jogger..........who cares what he says? He probably says
he satisfies women sexually too.

Sam said:

There are these strange breeds out there that run a marathon a week for a
year. It has been written up in Runnersworld, etc.

Terry Fox ran the equivalent of a marathon daily for nearly 5 months.
One one leg. With cancer. It's the 25th anniversary of the start of
his "Marathon of Hope" today. Not sure how well the story is known
outside of Canada.

http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=0748fec6-f208-4805-9c42-4c6250fc7446

Neil

Quoted message said:

Negative. He also claims to have run something like a total of 100,000
miles total. That number is only a guess, but the actual amount listed
in the article was equally ridiculous.

That would average 66 miles a week. I was able to do that for almost
ten years of my career, but work and age intervened.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

BTW I`d have placed Agawam somehere in Mississippi, it sounds like

it

Quoted message said:

should be somewhere in Faulkner country...>

Quoted message said:

Try Springfield Mass.

You know, these days, with Google and everything, it´s so easy to
check whether one´s hunch is right or not:-)

Quoted message said:

Well I guess it's possible then. I'm still skeptical.

Well, you´ll soon be able to put your mind at rest: one would expect
him to run his next marathon this weekend or the next - and since it´s
going to be his 1000th, the occasion should merit a certain amount of
attention in the running media.

OTOH a quick Google search suggests that the current American
record-holder is 73-year-old Norm(an) Frank of Rochester, NY, who is
still adding (16 in 2004, 5 so far in 2005) to his tally, but
nevertheless well short of a thousand - which I guess would seem to
indicate that your guy is either a rather humble kind of guy, a phony
or the hapless victim of an ignorant journalist who misquoted him...

Anders (who once knew someone whose cousin set the record for the
longest time sitting butt-naked on an anthill)

Quoted message said:

Well, you´ll soon be able to put your mind at rest: one would expect

him to run his next marathon this weekend or the next - and since it´s

going to be his 1000th, the occasion should merit a certain amount of
attention in the running media.>

Indeed!

Quoted message said:

OTOH a quick Google search suggests that the current American

record-holder is 73-year-old Norm(an) Frank of Rochester, NY, who is
still adding (16 in 2004, 5 so far in 2005) to his tally, but
nevertheless well short of a thousand - which I guess would seem to
indicate that your guy is either a rather humble kind of guy, a phony
or the hapless victim of an ignorant journalist who misquoted him...>

I suspect the last two.

Quoted message said:

Anders (who once knew someone whose cousin set the record for the

longest time sitting butt-naked on an anthill)>

People in rural arkansas really that desperate to get into Guiness's
book? Or was this just for pleasure?

Quoted message said:

Actually he would have to average a little under 35 a year. While that

might seem like a lot, it isn't out of the realm of possibility.>

Of course it is, it's ridiculous. Recovery time from even a slow pace
says this can't be possible.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Actually he would have to average a little under 35 a year. While that

might seem like a lot, it isn't out of the realm of possibility.>

Of course it is, it's ridiculous. Recovery time from even a slow pace
says this can't be possible.

I average 40 runs a year of 20 miles or more and have done so for 10
years. While most aren't races and some are less than 26.2, they
probably average 26.2 as some are many more than that. But the point is
that once you're conditioned to doing long runs, doing 1 or 2 a week is
not only possible, they get easier.

--
- The Trailrunner

Anti-Spam Alert: If you wish to reply, cut the *BS*

Trails of the Diablo Valley
*Running - Hiking - Nature*
http://www.geocities.com/yosemite/trails/6016/

"The Trailrunner" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Actually he would have to average a little under 35 a year. While
that

might seem like a lot, it isn't out of the realm of possibility.>

Of course it is, it's ridiculous. Recovery time from even a slow pace
says this can't be possible.

I average 40 runs a year of 20 miles or more and have done so for 10
years. While most aren't races and some are less than 26.2, they
probably average 26.2 as some are many more than that. But the point
is that once you're conditioned to doing long runs, doing 1 or 2 a
week is not only possible, they get easier.

I only returned to keeping a log last year and don't have much written
history but would say I do 30-35 of these a year. From January through
March I would do 20+ for 4-5 weeks in a row and then back down to 13 for
a break. Mine also have 2-5K of elevation so quality wise I'm cranking
also. When my goal race goal is past the 50 mile, 20 becomes my easy
week with other week going to 40 and sometimes 45.

Please, I'm not suggesting anyone should go out and try this but to
state that over many years of training at distance, these distances are
less intimidating both mentally and physically. So traildude is right
on. It's all about personal recovery which takes good genes, years of
slow buildup and smart rest cycles.

-DougF