Dean Karnazes is a phenomenon: frequent guest on television and radio shows; subject of numerous articles and magazine cover shots; regular columnist in Men's Health magazine; popular keynote speaker. Karnazes has been acclaimed in various magazines as perhaps "the fittest man in the world," "the ultimate running specimen," "the quintessential ultramarathoner," an "ultrarunning legend," and "the perfect beast." And it all was kicked off by his best-selling book, Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner.
Karnazes refers to himself as an ordinary person with no special talent, who has performed amazing feats simply by dint of high ambition and unwavering determination.
Karnazes' resolve is indisputable. But he underrates his inherent abilities. His book describes various endurance exploits accomplished as a child and youth, as well as the unusually quick progress he made when he seriously took up long distance running as an adult. These are signs of a person who has exceptional natural stamina. Determination (and even diligent training) alone would not be sufficient to produce his results as an endurance athlete.
Karnazes also has rare energy. He writes of frequently running much of the night during the weekends and then spending active days with his family. He says he often gets by on four hours of sleep per night for extended periods. He tells about running for almost 48 hours straight, covering 200 miles, and then devoting several hours to dash about an amusement park with his kids. Most people could not come close to matching his vitality, no matter how resolute they might be.
While Karnazes may consider himself an ordinary person, he asserts that he is accomplishing things that are extraordinary, even unprecedented. But his achievements, notable as they may be, are not always as great as some of the hype surrounding them might suggest.
Karnazes indicates in his book that he found it more and more difficult to find organized events that supplied the challenge he sought. Thus, he started creating his own extreme events. In that vein, Karnazes' next big endeavor is to run 50 marathons in the 50 states in 50 consecutive days, beginning on September 17, 2006. The website promoting this venture states that Karnazes "will transcend preconceived notions of human endurance." And Karnazes has declared, "To my knowledge, no one has ever attempted this before."
Nevertheless, a relatively unknown runner, Sam Thompson, raising money for Hurricane Katrina relief, is on course to complete the same feat on August 19, 2006, before Karnazes even begins his attempt. (Thompson is not charging anything for people to run with him, while Karnazes is charging $100 per person. Given Karnazes' star power, he very well may get more takers than Thompson has, notwithstanding the hefty participation fee.)
While presumably unaware of Thompson's plan, Karnazes certainly must have known that others have performed consecutive day running exploits that are even more impressive. A few examples:
* Participants in the 2002 and 2004 Runs Across America averaged over 43 miles per day for 71 days in running more than 3,080 miles.
* Finishers must complete the annual Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race in Queens, New York in 51 days or less, requiring an average of over 60 miles a day.
* In 2005, Andrew Thompson completed the rugged and mountainous 2,174-mile Appalachian Trail in 47-1/2 days, averaging over 45 miles a day.
* In 2005, 55-year old David Horton completed the equally difficult 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail (going from the U.S. border with Mexico to the U.S. border with Canada) in 66 days, averaging 40 miles a day.
In more standard competitive ultramarathon events, Karnazes' record, though quite respectable, is by no means unrivaled:
* His best time in the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run is more than two hours slower than the best time of seven-time winner Scott Jurek.
* His fastest performance in the Badwater Ultramarathon is two hours and forty-six minutes slower than that of Jurek.
* In the International Association of Ultrarunners 2005 24-Hour World Challenge, Karnazes finished 29th in the male division, running 136.2 miles in 24 hours, compared to 166.5 miles for the winner, Anatoliy Kruglikov of Russia. In addition, five women finished ahead of Karnazes.
A cyclist who finished 29th in the Tour de France or a runner who finished 29th in the Olympic Marathon would not be lionized as Karnazes has been. Indeed, Karnazes has received far more attention than the 28 men and the 5 women who finished ahead of him in the 24-Hour World Challenge put together. Why?
Karnazes has been very skillful in promoting himself. He has put his background as a marketing professional to good use. He clearly has a hunger for fame. He has written an entertaining book. He is a good-looking guy, with what he describes in his book as a "chiseled build." He has a lively sense of humor. He is media savvy. He has astute commercial instincts. And since the sphere of ultramarathoning is relatively obscure and not as tightly organized as most more established sports, it is easier to create an exaggerated impression of an ultramarathoner's ability with the general public through clever marketing.
Some admire Karnazes for his marketing prowess. Others find him self-absorbed and overly concerned with image.
To his credit, Karnazes has used his renown to raise money for worthy charitable causes. He also has inspired people to stretch their limits beyond what they thought possible. He no doubt has more challenges in store.
David C. Burgess
