Dean Karnazes

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Dean Karnazes at the 2008 Napa Valley Marathon expo

Dean Karnazes (b. Constantine Karnazes August 23, 1962) (pronounced car-NAH-sis), is a Greek-American ultramarathon runner, and author of Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All Night Runner which details ultra endurance running for the general public.[1][2]

Contents

[edit] Overview

Karnazes grew up in Los Angeles, where he began running home from kindergarten; he took up running so that he wouldn’t have to burden his mother with rides home from school every day.

At first, Karnazes ran direct routes from school to his home. Later, he began to run diversionary routes that would extend his run and take him into uncharted territory.[2] By third grade he was participating in and organizing short running events with other kids. As Karnazes grew older, he began testing his limits: by age eleven he had hiked rim-to-rim across the Grand Canyon and had climbed Mount Whitney, the highest mountain in the contiguous United States; for his 12th birthday, he cycled the 40 miles to his grandparents' home for fun, without first telling his parents.

In junior high, Karnazes met Jack McTavish, a track coach who became Karnazes’ mentor and introduced him to the appeal of long-distance running. McTavish's basic running instructions were simple: "Go out hard and finish harder." Using this motto as a basis, that season Karnazes won the one-mile California State Long-Distance Championship held on the Mount SAC track. At the end of the race, coach McTavish commented: "Good work son, how'd it feel?" To this Karnazes replied: "Well, going out hard was the right thing to do. It felt pretty good." The coach replied: "If it felt good, you didn’t push hard enough. It’s supposed to hurt like hell." A week after the race, Karnazes' father's job was transferred to San Clemente. These were the last comments the coach ever said to Karnazes, who has stated that he lives by these words to this day.[2]

In 1976, as a high school freshman, Karnazes joined the cross country team under Benner Cummings. Cummings’ running theory was that running is about finding your inner peace; his motto was "run with your heart." That season, Karnazes was awarded "Most Inspirational" team member. Karnazes also ran his first endurance event that year, a fundraising run on a track for underprivileged children, finishing in just under six hours and raising a dollar a lap from his sponsors. While most students ran only 10-15 laps around the track, he ran 105.

Karnazes was not compatible with his high school track coach and stopped running for fifteen years.[2] He resumed running on his 30th birthday with an impromptu all-night, 30-mile trek in his underwear and old lawn-mowing shoes.

In 2004, Karnazes was named one of GQ's "Best Bodies of the Year".

[edit] Racing and endurance highlights

Karnazes has completed a number of endurance events, mostly running events, but also a swimming event. Most notably, he ran 135 miles nonstop across Death Valley in 120°F temperatures, and a marathon to the South Pole at -40°F. In 2006, he ran 50 marathons, in all 50 US states, in 50 consecutive days, finishing with the New York City Marathon, which he completed in three hours flat.

Other highlights are:

  • Overall Winner, 4 Deserts Race Series, 2008
  • Competitor magazine Endurance Athlete of the Year Award winner, 2008, 2006, 2005
  • ESPN ESPY Award winner, “Best Outdoor Athlete,” 2007[3]
  • Winner, Vermont Trail 100 Mile Endurance Run, 2006
  • Two-time Emmy Award winner, 2005, 2007
  • American Ultrarunning Team, World Championships, 2005, 2008
  • Men’s Journal, Adventure Hall of Fame, 2005
  • Winner, Badwater Ultramarathon, 2004
  • 350 miles (560 km) in 80 hours and 44 minutes without stopping (2005)[4]
  • 148 miles (238 km) in 24 hours on a treadmill, 2004[5]
  • single-handedly completed the 199-mile (320 km) Providian Saturn Relay six times
  • Outside magazine, Ultimate Top 10 Outdoor Athletes, 2004

[edit] 50 marathons in 50 states on 50 consecutive days

See also: Marathon#Multiple marathons

The 50/50/50, was fifty marathons in fifty states in fifty consecutive days, beginning with the Lewis and Clark Marathon in St. Louis on September 17, 2006, and finishing with the New York City Marathon on November 5. Eight of the fifty races were conventional marathons. Since marathon races are typically held only on Saturdays and Sundays, on the other days Karnazes (accompanied by 5 to 50 runners) ran the course of a marathon in each state using the help of the Race Director and staff of each event to officially run the certified course, but on a different day than the “live” event. (For example, as part of the 50/50/50, Karnazes ran the official course of the Boston Marathon, but not the race itself, which is held in mid-April.)

Karnazes overcame the endurance and logistical difficulties of this goal, and Karnazes finished the final marathon, the NYC Marathon on the official race day, in 3 hours and 30 seconds.[7] He weighed 154 lbs at the start, and 153 lbs at the end.[8]

After finishing the 50/50/50, Karnazes decided to run home to San Francisco from New York City. He was expected to finish the trip in January 2007. However Karnazes chose to end this trek on December 15, 2006, in St. Charles, Missouri, to spend more time with his family.[9]

[edit] Books

  • Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner, Tarcher (March 2, 2006) ISBN 978-1585424801
  • 50/50: Secrets I Learned Running 50 Marathons in 50 Days (with Matt Fitzgerald) Grand Central Publishing (August 12, 2009) ISBN 978-0446581844

[edit] Non-running businesses

Dean is a businessman with a notable professional career working for several Fortune 500 companies and startups. He graduated from the McLaren School of Business & Management. He is also a motivational speaker.

In 1995, Karnazes founded Energy Well Natural Foods in San Francisco and he remains president of the company, now called Good Health Natural Foods.[10] He holds graduate degrees in Science and Business. Karnazes resides in San Francisco, California, with his wife, Julie, and two children, Alexandria and Nicholas.[11] Karnazes is also a regular columnist for Men's Health.[2]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Run 100s biography
  2. ^ a b c d e Karnazes, Dean (2006). Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All Night Runner. Penguin. ISBN 1-58542-278-9. 
  3. ^ http://press.abc-directory.com/press/1766 Retrieved 2009-06-15.
  4. ^ North Face Profile
  5. ^ Chapman Logic
  6. ^ Western States Endurance Run recordholders
  7. ^ Dean Karnazes; Matt Fitzgerald (Aug 2008). 50/50 Secrets I Learned Running 50 Marathons in 50 Days. Wellness Central. ISBN 978-0446581837.  page 250
  8. ^ Dean Karnazes; Matt Fitzgerald (Aug 2008). 50/50 Secrets I Learned Running 50 Marathons in 50 Days. Wellness Central. ISBN 978-0446581837.  page 267
  9. ^ Elliott, Helene, LA Times, December 21, 2006
  10. ^ Entrepreneur, March 2006
  11. ^ Anderson, Lessley, “Ultra Marathon Man,” SF Weekly, January 14, 2004

[edit] External links

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