Patriot's Day

Ah, Patriot's Day: that holiday that is hardly known outside Massachusetts but is one of my favorite days of the year. It has all the ingredients of a perfect day - a Red Sox game (in the morning!), the world famous Boston Marathon, and gorgeous spring weather. Oh, wait a minute. Scratch that last part, at least for this year. Monday, April 16 found Boston in the last throes of a nor'easter, complete with 50 mph wind gusts and steady rain. The race went on, but for the first time in several years, I was not there to watch it in person (partly because of the weather and partly because I had to make a little trip to the doctor's - nothing serious, just a little conjunctivitis). So, I only got to watch it on TV. As always, I was amazed by the sheer number of people who are able to run such an incredible distance. If those 60-year-old duffers can run 26.2 miles, why can't I? Maybe someday....

But, as great an accomplishment as running a marathon is, it pales in comparison with some of the exploits I have been reading about in "Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner." Dean Karnazes, the author, one day had a premature mid-life crisis and realized that his yuppified, sedentary San Francisco existence needed a jolt. His answer? Run. As far as possible. This guy is hardcore. He starts with a 100-mile race up and down several mountains in California. Then, a 130-mile race through Death Valley. In the middle of the summer, of course. That race ends with a run up the highest mountain in the continental United States. Not challenging enough? How about a marathon run to the South Pole - approximate temperature -30 degrees Fahrenheit. I know what you are asking - why on Earth would any sane person do these things? Karnazes offers this answer:

"What kept me going? Easy. The adventure. The challenge of pushing the human body beyond reality ... I had something to prove, if only to myself: that it could be done, that nothing was impossible."

Almost as unbelievable as Karnazes' running exploits is the list of food he consumes during races. During one 199-mile race (which is normally run as a team relay), he consumed 28,000 calories, including eight Power bars, an entire cheesecake, three burritos, five chocolate chip cookies, and the list goes on and on. Crazy!