Dean ran the Kiawah marathon this past Monday. He did it in 4:08:28, unfortunately not enough for Boston (he needed 3:20). Actually, the Deanster did the race route in 4:23:37, but due to a wrong turn, he ended up going 27.8 miles rather than the standard 26.2.

There’s just one thing; Dean is not me.

I’m talking about Dean Karnazes, a different Dean altogether. Karno Dean. He’s a… well… he’s a pretty accomplished runner (in the “more machine now than man, twisted and evil” mold). He runs ultra-marathons as a rule, and holds the world’s record for longest continuous run at 350 miles. Yes, miles.

 

 

Recently, a businessman took a year off to do 50 marathons in one year. Perhaps that inspired Dean, so he decided to run 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days. What took one guy a full year, Dean will do in about 7 weeks. On Sunday, he will finish his 50th marathon in as many days in New York City. Naturally, he also writes a daily blog. If I hear that he’s doing his taxes on the phone while running, I may keel over. No, I’d probably believe it.

It just goes without saying that this Dean is not me. To differentiate, I’ll refer to him as “Big Dean”.

Actually, a bloke named Sam Thompson apparently has outdone Dean, running 51 marathons in 50 days for victims of hurricane Katrina. He didn’t have nearly the promotional resources of his counterpart, but I love the moxie.

I get tired just thinking about this. On Monday, I will have completed reading Big Dean’s 50 blog entries in 50 days, and after that alone, I’ll be exhausted and in need of a break.

Just call me lil’ Dean.