Running News Daily

At 60, retired Newcastle teacher Jon Strong is preparing to complete a marathon challenge 12 years in the making — and there is just one letter left to tick off.

Strong has already completed 25 marathons, with each race beginning with a different letter of the alphabet. Now, only J remains.

The final chapter will be written at the Jersey Marathon on October 4, where Strong will line up for the 26th and final race of his remarkable A-to-Z marathon project, which he began in 2014.

For Strong, however, completing the alphabet has been about more than simply finding 26 races. His commitment to environmentalism means he does not fly, making travel to certain marathons considerably more complicated.

That was precisely why the letter J remained unfinished for so long.

The Jersey Marathon takes place on a Sunday, and for years the ferry schedule made the trip difficult to combine with his teaching commitments. Getting back in time for school on Monday morning was simply not possible.

That changed when Strong retired this summer after an impressive 28-year career teaching French, German and Spanish at Dame Allan’s Schools in Newcastle, where he most recently served as Head of Modern Languages.

With his teaching career now behind him, the final piece of the puzzle could finally fall into place.

His alphabet marathon journey has taken him to races across Europe, including the Venice Marathon, Rotterdam Marathon, Germany’s X-ray Marathon and Spain’s Quijote Marathon, named after the legendary character Don Quixote.

Many of those races have been completed in under three hours and 30 minutes, while Strong’s marathon personal best stands at an impressive 2:58.

There is also one unusual ritual that has accompanied him throughout the journey: beetroot juice.

Strong drinks it three hours before every marathon — a routine he has followed for so long that he jokes he would not dare stop now.

After 25 marathons, countless training miles and years of travelling by ferry rather than plane, the finish line in Jersey will represent far more than the end of another 26.2-mile race.

It will complete an extraordinary 12-year quest to run a marathon for every letter of the alphabet.

On October 4, the long-awaited J will finally be ticked off.

One alphabet. Twenty-six marathons. Twelve years. One final letter.

Oz Pearlman is most known as a world-class mentalist and entertainer, dazzling audiences with mind-reading feats. While his stage act is about illusions and mind-reading, his running accomplishments are very real and recognized in the endurance community.

Oz has carved out a reputation as an elite runner, with marathon credentials and ultra-endurance performances that prove his strength goes far beyond the stage.

Marathon Credentials

Oz’s personal best marathon of 2:23:52, set at the Philadelphia Marathon in 2014, is a time most competitive runners can only dream of. He’s also posted:

• 2:26:59 at the 2014 New York City Marathon

• 2:29:19 at the 2021 NYC Marathon

• 2:40:14 at the 2022 NYC Marathon

Along the way, he’s notched victories in regional races, including the New Jersey Marathon, underscoring his range and consistency.

From Marathons to Ultramarathons

Oz didn’t stop at 26.2. He’s tested his limits in some of the sport’s toughest arenas:

• 100 miles in 16:53:25 at the Keys Ultra (2021), finishing second overall.

• 100 miles in 18:25:23 at the Umstead 100-Mile Endurance Run (2025).

• 117 miles in Central Park (2022), setting the record for most loops in a single day while raising funds for Ukrainian relief.

• A nonstop run from Montauk Point Lighthouse to Times Square — over 130 miles in 24 hours.

These efforts highlight not only his physical endurance but also his ability to push through the mental barriers that define ultra running.

Mind Over Miles

As a mentalist, Oz has honed a mastery of focus, patience, and mental toughness — qualities that translate seamlessly to distance running. Whether chasing sub-2:25 marathons or grinding through 100-mile ultras, he shows that success in endurance sport comes as much from the mind as from the legs.

Running With Purpose

Many of Oz’s longest challenges have doubled as fundraising efforts, proving that his running is about more than personal achievement. His Central Park ultra raised significant support for Ukraine, reflecting how he uses his talents — both on stage and on the course — to make an impact.

Oz Pearlman is more than an entertainer. He is a reminder that resilience, consistency, and the power of the mind can take us further than we imagine — sometimes all the way from Montauk to Manhattan.

On April 8, Oz Pearlman, also known as the famous magician Oz the Mentalist, took to Central Park to break the record for running around its perimeter and to raise money to support the children of Ukraine. He broke the previous record held by Robbie Balenger of 16 laps, running a total of 19 laps, or 116 miles (187 km), in the 19 hours the park is open.

Each loop is around 10K, with the official challenge starting at 6:05 a.m. and ending at 12:55 a.m. the following morning, as the park is closed between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. Pearlman wore the blue and yellow colours of Ukraine during his challenge to raise money to help children displaced in the war. Pearlman raised over $110,000, which well surpassed his fundraising goal of $100,000. 

Pearlman kicked off his fundraising campaign with his own $1,000 donation, and then matched the next $9,000 of donations. 

If you recognize Pearlman’s name, you may remember him from America’s Got Talent, in which he finished third in 2015. He is an accomplished magician and mentalist who has been featured on The Today Show, Ellen and Live with Kelly and Ryan. 

Pearlman is no stranger to the marathon scene. He has won the New Jersey Marathon four times and the Hamptons Marathon three times, holding a personal best of 2:23 from the Philadelphia Marathon in 2014. 

Like the famous scene in the movie Forrest Gump, many NYC runners happened to meet Pearlman on his journey and joined him for a jog as he averaged 5:47 per kilometre over 18 hours. 

A number of the world’s top distance runners will be at the 2021 Bank of America Chicago Marathon on Sunday, Oct. 10, organizers announced today, joining headliners Galen Rupp and Sara Hall. So far, there are no Canadians featured in the Chicago Marathon elite field.

Ruth Chepngetich (Kenya), Diane Nukuri (USA) and Keira D’Amato (USA) are among the names to watch in the women’s race for the 43rd running of the Chicago Marathon. Chepngetich, who dropped out of the Olympic marathon at around 30 km, is the reigning world champion and comes to Chicago as the pre-race favourite. Hall ousted Chepngetich in a sprint for second place at the 2020 London Marathon, but all eyes will be on their Oct. 10 rematch. Chepngetich is the only East African runner in an elite field that’s deep with American talent.

The men’s field features three athletes who have run under 2:05, as well Rupp, who won in 2017. Rupp is the only individual in the field with an Abbott World Major Marathons victory under his belt. Getaneh Molla (ETH) has won the Dubai Marathon, and Hassan El Abbassi (BRN) was the runner-up at the 2018 Valencia Marathon. Rupp had a sub-par Olympic Games, finishing a disappointing eighth in Tokyo (2:11:41) after many thought he would challenge Eliud Kipchoge for a medal. Rupp will enter Chicago as the pre-race favorite, thanks to his previous success on the course.

Past champions Daniel Romanchuk and Marcel Hug will battle it out in the elite wheelchair competition. Romanchuk is the defending two-time champion (2018 and 2019) and world record holder, while Hug won this race in 2016 and 2017. Hug and Romanchuk will compete on back-to-back days, in Chicago on Oct. 10 and at the Boston Marathon on Oct. 11.

With the cancellation of the New Jersey Marathon, larger mass races are putting together strict Covid protocols to avoid transmission of the virus, including face coverings at the start and finish and either proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test within 72 hours of the race.