Running News Daily

Four different ultrarunners are running across North America

Many runners have felt the silent pull of the long run, but running all day, every day, for months, takes the meaning of “long run” a step further. The passion for these gigantic physical and mental journeys seems only to be growing within the ultrarunning community, and we are aware of at least four ultrarunners (two Americans, one Canadian and one Irish) who are currently (or soon will be) crossing North America on foot–each for different reasons and causes.

Pete Kostelnick of Phoenix, Ariz. is known for breaking the trans-American record in 2016 by crossing the U.S. on foot in a record 42 days, six hours and 30 minutes. He followed that up in 2018 by completing a self-supported 8,614 km run from Kenai, Alaska, to Key West, Fla., including portions of western Canada, in 98 days. In July, he’ll begin an attempt to not only run 50 miles per day in 50 states over 50 days straight, solo, but he will then to head to Australia to become the first human to run the 3,935 km from Perth to Sydney, averaging roughly 128 kilometres per day for 31 days. 

Kostelnick, 35, writes about the Australian adventure: “In running from Perth to Sydney in the bar I’ve set for myself, that will be the most difficult and challenging one I’ll probably ever attempt.” Kostelnick will host a daily podcast throughout his journey, and invites fellow runners to join him throughout his cross-U.S. run, with his expected dates of arrival in various places posted on social media.

Fellow Hoka-sponsored athlete and ultrarunner Mike Wardian of Arlington, Va., has already begun his trek across the U.S., one the athlete says he’s dreamed of for much of his life. Wardian is currently on day 19 of the 5,100 km journey, averaging 80 km per day and supported by his father, Richard Wardian. His daily updates online include what music or book he is listening to (yesterday was Guns and Roses), among other things. Wardian is raising money for World Vision in an attempt to provide greater access to clean drinking water to people across the world, in a project he has dubbed #runninghome.

Canadian Dave Proctor of Okotoks, Alta., is making his second attempt at breaking the cross-Canada record set by Al Howie in 1991. Howie ran from Newfoundland to Victoria in 72 days, 10 hours; following in Howie’s footsteps from east to west, Proctor hopes to complete the trek in 66 days. Proctor’s previous attempt in 2018 ended in injury, and his second attempt has been delayed by the pandemic. Currently on day five, Proctor is averaging 105 km a day and is supported by a varied crew of friends (including Canadian ultrarunners Matt Shepard, Mike Huber and Myron Tetrault, among others) and family, who are flying out separately to various points on his trip and providing aid for six to 16 days each.

Irish ultrarunner Richard Donovan, creator of the World Marathon Challenge (seven marathons on seven continents in seven days), is also running across the U.S., from east to west, in memory of his friend Alvin Matthews. Donovan’s run began the day after the Boston Marathon (which he also ran). He hopes to average about 64 km per day in a scenic and circuitous journey that will take about three months; he made a similar trek in 2015.

All four athletes have demonstrated remarkable prowess at ultra-distance events, and readers and runners alike look forward to both following the athletes online and spotting them on highways on multiple continents over the next few months.

Ultrarunner Kristina Madsen of Denmark wins Antarctica Marathon overall at World Marathon Challenge

Race director Richard Donovan had to do some last-minute scrambling to reschedule travel and race times at the 2020 World Marathon Challenge when weather conditions prevented the group from flying to Antarctica on Thursday as scheduled.

Time waits for no man or woman when you have only seven days to run seven marathons on seven continents, so instead, the challenge kicked off in Capetown, South Africa, where elite ultrarunner Kristina Madsen of Denmark was the first female to cross the finish line. On Day 2 of the challenge, in extremely cold, windy conditions, Madsen won the Antarctica marathon outright in 3:54:20.

Madsen, 34, is a veteran of both WMC (she was second female last year) and many ultras and Danish national teams.

The third marathon is underway in Perth, Australia today, having started at 11:30 p.m. local time.

That wasn’t the only last-minute change to this year’s challenge. There were originally 42 competitors from 15 countries participating (25 men and 15 women), and one Canadian, Elaine Du.

But travel restrictions due to the coronavirus meant seven individuals who were either from China or who had recently traveled there could not participate. Donovan has offered to bring all seven back for the 2021 challenge at no charge.

The NYRR Millrose Games will always have its Irish air

Even if the list of competitors is not chock-a-block with Irish names there will always be an Irish air about the Millrose Games which are set for Saturday, February 9 at the Armory in Washington Heights, Manhattan.

For one thing the Meet Director this year, as he has been for a number of years now, is legendary Irish middle distance runner and Longford native, Ray Flynn.

“This is the 112th Millrose Games and the eighth Millrose meet at the Armory. It’s a big deal,” Flynn says.

A big deal indeed.

“And if there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s that the Armory is an incredible venue, especially for the kids,” Flynn said.

The New York Road Runners Millrose Games did indeed move, in 2012, from the much larger Madison Square Garden to the cozier confines of the uptown Armory.

The effect, however, was a positive in that the Armory is filled to the rafters with 5,000 cheering track and field fans. 400 extra seats have been squeezed in for Saturday’s meet.

One of those cheering will be, of course, Eamonn Coghlan, the “Chairman of the Boards.”

Coghlan and Flynn are but two Irish middle distance veterans who remind track fans of a golden era in Irish middle distance running, that being the 1980s.

Coghlan is the holder of seven Wanamaker Mile titles and holds, among many other titles and laurels, a World 5000 Meter championship gold medal.

Ray Flynn has 89 sub 4-minute miles under his belt and is both the Irish Mile Record holder (3:49.77) and Irish 1,500m Record holder (3:33.5). Both records were broken in the same race in 1982 in Oslo in the Bislett Games Dream Mile.

Flynn, was an All-American in track and field and cross country at East Tennessee State, where his team in 1975 captured the NCAA Track and Field Championship.

Now 62, Flynn currently works as an agent for track and field athletes and is based in Johnson City, Tennessee.

Millrose is unique in that Olympians, as well as other elite professional, college, high school and youth track and field competitors, line up for the various events.

This year, two lucky Sligo kids will get to rub shoulders with some of the best athletes in the world by racing in the “Fastest Kid on the Block” competition.

Alice Belo and Shane Haran will be representing their county and Ireland.

In Sligo, the Fastest Feet program is being used every year to introduce kids to sport, specifically athletics. The man backing the program is Galway’s Richard Donovan who is also behind the World Marathon Challenge, the North Pole Marathon, the Volcano Marathon and other epic global sporting events.

The Armory being indoors, Alice and Shane need not worry about a return of the Polar Vortex.

No fewer than 32 Olympians are included in this year’s Millrose roster. There are Irish names evident, but they belong to athletes from the U.S., Canada, Australia and indeed Antigua & Barbuda.

Michael Wardian will be running the World Marathon Challenge once again, he holds the world record averaging 2:45:57 for the 7 marathons

The World Marathon Challenge is the only annual event that offers the opportunity to run 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days.

The first marathon occurs within the Antarctic Circle on mainland Antarctica and the final marathon takes place in Miami, North America.  

Michael Wardian holds the world record set in 2017.  His cumulative marathon time of 19:21:36 hrs (or average marathon time of 2:45:57 hrs) is outstanding.  He did not compete last year.  This year's Challenge starts January 31st.

Just today Michael posted on his FB page. "I am beyond excited to announce I have gotten a spot for 2019. Running 7 marathons in 7 days on 7 continents is without a doubt one of the most incredible things I have gotten to do and I cannot wait to see what is possible in 2019.

Thanks Richard Donovan (director of event) and team for allowing me the opportunity and to everyone that supports me. I can’t do these things without you," Michael wrote.

The entry fee for this event is 36,000 Euros ($40,087US). 

Richard Donovan is planning on finishing his 3,000 mile journey across America this weekend

Irish Ultra runner Richard Donovan is close to completing the equivalent of running nearly 130 marathons. The well-known record setter is currently undertaking the epic Trans North America Run, a 3,100 mile run across the US, travelling from San Francisco to New York, to raise funds for fellow runner Alvin Matthews, who became paralysed in 2014.

Alvin is a dam builder and suffered a 25ft fall in Lebanon last year. He had previously completed two races that Richard had organised, the Antarctic Ice Marathon and the North Pole Marathon, and was due to take part in the Volcano Marathon in South America when he had the accident. To help raise funds for Alvin, Richard began his adventure across the US on May 19th in San Francisco. 

Richard is no stranger to endurance running and currently holds the world record for completing seven different marathons on seven different continents in less than five days back in 2012. During his North American travels, Richard has managed to cover 50 miles in one day, all part of his training for a run he is set to undertake across Antarctica.

“I wanted to see and experience what I considered to be real America, with some of its epic scenery, and I wanted to do it in the heat of the summer. After the start at the Golden Gate Bridge I ran through the rolling hills of California, ‘wine country’, to Lake Tahoe,” he explains.

Although an experienced ultrarunner, Richard has faced considerable hardship during his trans-America run. Blisters were the biggest issue in the first few weeks. I was in a bad situation, getting up daily with a lot of pain. My skin had split in places and I had what I can only describe as very bad open wounds to a couple of toes,” he said.  Injuries were not the only peril that Richard faces, with Mother Nature proving a formidable foe.

“I could hear the howls of coyotes around me during the evening,” he recalls. There were also shadows that appeared to be racing nearby, but I could never see an animal. It was only when I decided to look up that I noticed it was buzzards circling overhead. Of course I encountered many snakes along the route, and had a close encounter with one in particular.”

Richard has been averaging 35 miles per running day. The total distance of the run is 3,200 miles. It’s the equivalent of the flight distance across the Atlantic from New York to Dublin. Richard intends to finish the run this Saturday in Battery Park, New York.