Now my energy level is much more consistent. Most people never get there. 1,763 ratings137 reviews A Runners High wakes up the appetite to run long distances. In an interview conducted with Karnazes for the October 2012 issue of Competitor Magazine, I asked him how he deals with all the injuries he must certainly be slammed with considering not just the racing but the tremendous quantities of mileage he consumes in training. "I saw somewhat of a rebirth. "So ironically, I'm kind of drinking my own medicine. For many runners (and non-runners), Dean Karnazes needs no introduction. ", I wasn't born with any innate talent. Running, Nutrition and Adventures An Interview with Dean Karnazes. I was just fascinated with how you could take a food like that in fairly condensed form and fill it with energy, with nutrients. He stood on his porch and just felt like runningsomething he hadnt done since high school, when he ran track and cross country in his Southern California hometown of San Clemente. I was clenching my teeth and literally made them crooked, and my jaw started hurting, he explained. So, nothing processed or refined. Basically, if it cant be picked from a tree, dug from the earth, or caught with my hands, I dont eat it. Karnazes: Its a really complex formula because there are so many variables. I run to explore. But he misses racing and says he may toe the line at some events in the coming year. What drug could compete? Im not getting saccharine here, and believe me, Id probably be running like a wildman no matter what, but thinking about my sister, and being able to help others, has given me a greater sense of purpose.. He did it his way, and I did it mine. Dostoyevsky had it right: 'Suffering is the sole origin of consciousness.' Karnazes once ran 50 marathons, in 50 states, in 50 consecutive days and has run 350 continuous miles. We spoke with Dean to build this in-depth look at what makes him tick: in this article we will cover who Dean Karnazes is, what makes him superhuman, and what keeps him going. Harper walked up to Karnazes and said, Youve changed my life. He said that reading Ultramarathon Man inspired him not only to run more frequently and train for a marathon, but also to get his contractors license and start a new business. The New York Times wrote that running with him is like setting up ones easel next to Monet or Picasso. This is a guy who has over 66,000 Facebook fans, who in 2007 made Time magazines list of Top 100 Most Influential People and who once stayed awake for three days to run 350 miles nonstop. He ran an astounding 350 miles (563 km) without stopping. Nonetheless, Thompson gained support and sympathy from ultrarunners who admired his low-key, low-budget approach in contrast to the hoopla surrounding Karnazes, and who were annoyed at the general misperception that Karnazes was the first and only runner to do 50-50-50. Karnazes is the recipient of the Presidents Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition Lifetime Achievement Award and one of TIME magazines 100 Most Influential People in the World. Karnazes wore running shorts, a singlet emblazoned with his main sponsor, The North Face, and a backpack to carry stuff, since he literally runs errands around town. Cross-training. What a great ambassador. https://dailystoic.com/dean-karnazes/. Then the story repeated in the following several years: Dean dedicated the annual run to a hospitalized child, and that child miraculously got the transplant or treatment needed to recover. Races were cancelled. When I travel the country, I notice a healthy band from Seattle coming down the West Coast, another weeping up the east coast and Chicago is pretty healthy. They have test kitchens. You probably burned 300 or 400 calories. I think people are taking in too many calories overall and way more protein than they need. Stand up more and bounce on your toes a lot.. nbj: How do you keep up on nutrition science? The race aimsto raise awareness and funds for youth mental health support organisation, ReachOut Australia. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. I just wanted to underscore what an inspiration Dean has been to me, and how generous he is . During that period, he developed a company, Good Health Natural Products, where he was president until he left in 2008 to become a full-time runner, writer and motivational speaker. Download the app. Karnazes, who had barely broken a sweat, said he was happy to squeeze in a midday run, because he was preparing for the Gore-Tex TransRockies Run, a five-day staged race, and he needed some heat training. Here it is for anyone looking for it: No sitting allowed. He would also open up about the criticism that his celebrity status has sparked. Want to be durable like Dean? His wife, Julie, a dentist, installed them after his 75-day, nearly 3000-mile run from Los Angeles to New York dubbed the Run Across America, that he completed last spring. For his 12th birthday, Karnazes cycled 40 miles to his grandparents home for fun without telling his parents. Lets face it, you influence your kids behavior more than anything. . Karnazes doesnt have an average number of miles he runs in a day. Then he asked if I would mind tacking on a couple of extra miles on a trail that would take us to the neighboring town of San Anselmo, where he opened the U-Top It frozen yogurt shop in early 2011. Ive taken actions to move myself forward with what I want out of life since reading the book, he said, calling Karnazes probably the single most important person I could ever meet. Television from that day shows Karnazes running through the streets with a pack of schoolchildren following his lead and the television host Kelly Rippa jogging at his side. It was nearing 11p.m. Karnazes is 58 years old. Perhaps his most astounding feat came last October when he ran 262 miles nonstop the equivalent of 10 marathons of 26.2 miles each. Number 8860726. He expressed awe and respect for the lead runners who finished under 16 hours. NBJ spoke with him from his home in Marin County. Rumor has it he eats whole cheesecakes along the way. 199 miles? I runto savor the trip along the way. I cant even believe its me who lived that experience [at the White House]. But when the opportunity to run with others was taken away, he longed for it. I first heard of Dean Karnazes in October of 2000 while riding in a van packed with sweaty runners on a back road of Northern Californias wine country. I tell runners to listen to everyone but follow no one, Karnazes said. But thats just my diet. Thomas here, the founder of Marathon Handbook. Could Neanderthal man eat anything with a processed grain, be it rice, oats, wheat? Bergland broke the record at 153 miles while Karnazes ran about 149. Since then, Karnazes has found himself absorbed by the challenges of the Western States 100, the Badwater Ultramarathon (which he won in 2004) along with many other classics. He envisions people in each country running all or part of a marathon with him, and raising money for a charitable cause in each nation. (Karnazes didnt run Western States last year, though he has 11 sub-24-hour finishes there, with a best of 17:43 in 2003 when he placed fourth.) But you get a general trend line. Hes like a superstar to mea superhero.. Instead, he allows his body to dictate how much sleep he needs. Certain foods just seem to work better than others. Theres also so much thats market driven. On Wednesday, October 12, 2005, Dean Karnazes started out on a 350-mile run through Northern California with his family following behind in an RV. I had grown accustomed to the upscale lifestyle, the bonuses, the hefty options packages, he wrote. Karnazes is married to his high school sweetheart, Julia, and they have two children. And some of it is blatant advertising that looks like legitimate studies by companies trying to push their products. You always need to look at who is financing this research. I dont think our system has evolved to handle processed food and a lot of the grains that we are consuming. 26.2 Stories of Blister and Bliss, a collection of humorous and reflective short stories that explore his relationship to running and to the people close to him. Im telling him, Nick, there are 900 calories in that thing. Karnazes: Ive gone to natural hydration. I remember meeting with Nike 10 years ago ago and they brought me in to see all of their new medial posts and other widgets and gadgets. Karnazes was very detail oriented, says Friese, wanting to know the elevation profile and terrain before each day, and he was pretty regimented with his food. The crew would mix yogurt or Ensure with granola and nut clusters, hand him the bowl, and he would eat while walking. Definitely worth mentioning and quoting. Running Pace Calculator2. Ive never been injured.. But in 2007, the company Accelerade approached him about doing a treadmill run in Times Square. 50/50: Secrets I Learned Running 50 Marathons in 50 Days-And How You Too Can Achieve Super Endurance. Different athletes are using different kinds of things. The Endurance 50 was a success, and Karnazes capped it off by running 3:00:30 at the New York City Marathon on his final day. Ultrarunning legend Dean Karnazes shares his advice on how to become unbreakable. Thats one of the trends. Anything that you cant just pick off a tree and put in your mouth, he wasnt able to eat. If you're not pushing yourself beyond the comfort zone, if you're not constantly demanding more from yourself--expanding and learning as you go--your choosing a numb existence. I am constantly scouring literature looking for new ideas, new trends. Dean Karnazes has completed 50 marathons in 50 days, won the 135-mile Badwater Ultramarathon, and run 350 miles in just over 80 hours without stopping. I pay attention to when I eat a certain food. The athletic and logistical challenges of his feats are what lure him. nbj: How do you evaluate a new sports nutrition product? I've never been naturally gifted at anything. A quest to create a multi-stage tour designed specifically for runners. Usually, there'd be aid stations along the route, with volunteers cheering and helping refill his pack with food and drink. The other trend is what they call shifting the substrate utilization, so when you are below your lactate threshold, you are getting more efficient at burning fat being able to boost your aerobic capacity while still not utilizing your stored glycogen. Fast forward to the night of his 30th birthday and his life as a runner was reborn. Even just doing burpees or push-ups when you have some downtime can help, he says. Dean Karnazes, also known as the Ultra Marathon Man and the Perfect Human popularized ultramarathons with his book Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner. A guy whose next big project is to run a marathon in all 204 countries around the world in a year. Knock on wood, Karnazes, who just turned 50, replied with a shrug of his shoulders. It happened to me the first time I tried Badwater, and its a death spiral. Others might be faster, but I could go longer. UltraGeezer Gene Dykes is Ready to Tackle Western States 100, In New Book, Dean Karnazes Explores Ancient Ultrarunning, Then Tries to Recreate It. People are eating them and thinking, Yeah, this is great energy. The biggest trend I saw when I ran across America last year is clearly inactivity and obesity. Whitney Heins is the founder of The Mother Runners and a VDOT-O2 certified running coach. . As a teen in 1986, he watched his father Nick run Los Angeles' first marathon and thought he looked like "a mess" afterwards. You also dont have as much GI distress. nbj: Give us an example of when you got it completely wrong? I just ran this 135-mile race across Death Valley, the Badwater, and I drank something like eight gallons of coconut water. Photo: Chad Riley. We tend to get sucked into minor tasks and superfluous distractions. You seek challenges and adventures that dwell on the outer edges. A runner doesnt need much. Look strong., Never, however, do I take shortcuts. Registered in England and Wales. . Its become the brand, but it wasnt intentional, it wasnt scriptedits just how it evolved., Says Geoff Roes of Boulder, Colorado, 2009 and 2010 Ultrarunner of the Year and the 2011 Ultra Race of Champions winner, Dean has done some amazingly successful things in the sport. Thanks for contacting us. Hes amazing. People assume hes the bestand my petty ego has to deal with that., Nonetheless, Gates credits Karnazes for attracting more people and attention to the sport, which helps generate sponsorship so athletes like him can take time off from regular jobs to focus on training. D ean Karnazes is a New York Times Best Selling Author and was named by Time as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. TIME magazines 100 Most Influential People in the World, 2007. As it turned out, the publication of Ultramarathon Man in 2005 fundamentally altered his life. At age 58, Karnazes continues to challenge himself because he has a desire to be the best he can be, and running is a medium that allows a person to measure themselves against themselves. When I run up to Tam, I bring this little safety mirror, and signal my kids, and theyre like, Hey, Dads up there!, Karnazes running the Badwater Ultramarathon. Dean Karnazes completed the longest non-stop run by a human being in 2005. He ran 350 miles (560 km) non-stop. It took him 80 hours and 44 minutes. This record was not recorded by Guinness, but has been upheld by other organizations. He is considered one of the best runners in the world. I dont want them to be like, Dads dragging us to another thing., We reached a summit and paused, taking in a panoramic view of the San Francisco Bay. My son is in high school and they say you need a big thick protein shake after your workout. With Regis and Kelly, and I cant imagine anyone in my peer group watching morning TV, Karnazes recalled. My God, Id love nothing more than to go run hundreds of miles by myself, or to run Western States or Badwater, but to me, the biggest reward is having someone come up and say, You changed my life. Privacy Policy. Puff out your chest, put one foot in front of the other, and don't stop till you cross the finish line., Pain is the body's way of ridding itself of weakness., The human body has limitations; the human spirit is boundless., Unless you're not pushing yourself, you're not living to the fullest. Ultramarathoner Dean Karnazes is used to running eight or nine hours alone with just his thoughts in nature but when the coronavirus pandemic hit, he felt lonely. Scott Dunlap of Woodside, California, who writes the popular www.runtrails.blogspot.com, posted a transcript of Jureks interview about Karnazes on his blog, which sparked scores of comments from trail runners, who were split between defending Karnazes and sympathizing with Jurek. He had embarked on the project to raise awareness for the Gulf Coast communities devastated by Hurricane Katrina. I'm using running as therapy to get through the pandemic.". Karnazes: That primarily happens using products like Cytomax and Accelerade and mixing the products from a powder and getting it too concentrated. Some nice details on his ultra across Greece, fueling on ancient food. Karnazes running oceanside in Marin County, California. Known for pushing his body to its limits, he's run 563.2 continuous kilometres in 80 hours and 44 hours without stopping for sleep, won countless races including the 217 kilometre Badwater Ultramarathon across Death Valley during summer's searing heat, and raced on all seven continents not once but twice. Dogged persistence is what got me through life. WebI run to breathe the fresh air. Some of my finest moments came while running down the open road, little more than a pair of shoes and shorts to my name. The 58-year-old admits it wasn't his fastest time and there were "some tears along the way", but he "got the job done". Looking at different types of fatmonounsaturated, polyunsaturated, different types and blends of fatsto see what can give the most energy. Karnazes Some nights thats eight or nine hours, other nights its five or six, he said. The only way I knew how to succeed was to try harder than anyone else. Life becomes a little more vibrant, a little more intense. I wasnt that crazy about it, because it almost sounds like too big of shoes to fill. Things dont bring happiness. My mentor was a guy named Jack LaLanne. Karnazes swears by cross-training to stay healthy and prevent running injuries. Copyright 2023. Eat healthy! How does it leave me feelingand how does it help me recover or not help my recovery? We've received your submission. I asked Thompson if he got the idea from Karnazes and if he timed his project to be the first. If youre a runner, you get the trots. What I do equates to hard manual labor, disciplined grunt work. How could he run so far on untrained legs? Presidents Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition Lifetime Achievement Award, 2019. Russia's elites have a plan in case Putin is toppled. You can't be afraid to fail, but unless you fail, you haven't pushed hard enough. and our The ultramarathoner said he believes the coyote wanted his energy bar. AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time), abc.net.au/news/dean-karnazes-on-running-through-the-pandemic/100370166, Your information is being handled in accordance with the, Help keep family & friends informed by sharing this article. Hey Lydia, Dean Karnazes documenting his attack by a coyote that happened while he was running near the Golden Gate Bridge in an ultramarathon. Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up., I run because if I didnt, Id be sluggish and glum and spend too much time on the couch. Obama said, I think what youre doing is incredible, and I just want to shake your hand. I started reaching for his hand and went, Oh! and gave him the presidential knuckle bump.. Karnazes: I think they are consuming too many calories. Before Karnazes Run Across America began last February, the Hawkeye team meticulously planned the route from Los Angeles to New York and coordinated with WABC-TV in New York to cover the event on morning TV for 75 days. It throws your electrolytes out of balance. That experience includes witnessing the full 24-hour cycle of the earth sunrise, the midday sun, sunset, the moon rising and first light again the next day as he runs through the night. Cal Poly has a really incredible food science laboratory. Karnazes: I did some work with Balance Bar, with PowerBar, and I was doing a lot of formulation in the lab at Cal Poly. The longest run without stopping was achieved by Dean Karnazes in 2005. Just let the foot be the foot. Steve Jennings A famous ultramarathon Karnazes: I am a prodigious reader. I always experiment on myself. They were eating a paste that was sesame seeds mixed with honey. Long stretches of his 40- to 50-mile daily runs were along a narrow highway shoulder with big rigs repeatedly zooming by and honking. Heres what I didnt know before reading this book . He was born on August 23, 1962, in Los Angeles, California, to his Greek-descent parents, Nick and Fran Karnazes. Tentatively called RunWorld, Karnazes next big thing is to run a marathon in every country over the course of a year, starting in late 2013 or 2014. a few years ago when Marathon Handbook was just getting started, I reached out to Dean to ask if hed consider writing the foreword to my book The Stage Race Handbook. Sarah Lavender Smith is a Bay Area writer who blogs about trail running and travel at TheRunnersTrip.com. nbj: What is the big mistake casual athletes make? If something looks legitimate, I try it on myself. Hamming it up with his employees at U-Top It. Over the course of our run and in subsequent conversations, he would reflect on how his goals have shifted over two decades as an ultrarunner and why hes on a mission to change peoples lives by getting them to run. But it was true. I had never watched Live! Karnazes can run forever because he is physiologically elite, biomechanically very efficient, and mentally very tough, studies find. Informa Markets, a trading division of Informa PLC. If you are new to running or not familiar with the ultra-running world, or Deans books, then watching this video interview with Dean Karnazes will be a great Learn more about Karnazes at ultramarathonman.com. 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