Ultramarathon Man reaches Springfield on Run Across America

Dean Karnazes is running 40 to 50 miles a day on his journey to New York City and will host 5K Thursday in Springfield.

ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - February 25, 2011 - With co-host Regis Philbin live in New York and Kelly Ripa on location at Disneyland park in California, today

Paul Hiffmeyer/Photographer ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - February 25, 2011 - With co-host Regis Philbin live in New York and Kelly Ripa on location at Disneyland park in California, today "LIVE! with Regis and Kelly" kicked off "Regis & Kelly's Run Across America with Dean Karnazes." Ultramarathoner Karnazes set out from the Magic Kingdom on his nearly 3,000-mile trek across the United States from Disneyland to New York City. Designed to inspire Americans to get up, get active and get healthy, the coast-to-coast trek will benefit Action for Healthy Kids, the nation's leading nonprofit and largest volunteer network fighting childhood obesity and undernourishment.

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By David Jablonski, Staff Writer Updated 7:19 AM Wednesday, April 20, 2011

SPRINGFIELD — The numbers stagger the imagination.

Dean Karnazes will cover almost 3,000 miles before his journey on “Regis and Kelly’s Run Across America” ends. He completes 40 to 50 miles per day in an average of eight hours. As of Tuesday, he had done that 54 days in a row, beginning at Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., on Feb. 25. He has 20 days to go before he reaches New York City.

One day Karnazes drank six gallons of various liquids. He sometimes consumes 9,000 calories a day, which can include as many as 30 bananas. He has worn out 30 pairs of North Face running shoes.

The famed Ultramarathon Man raced into Springfield on Tuesday and will host a 5K race here at 9 a.m. Thursday. He spoke to the News-Sun on a cellphone while running on Chambersburg Road in Huber Heights on Tuesday.

A deluge hit an hour later. Almost assuredly, Karnazes kept going. Rain or snow, desert or mountains, New Mexico or Kansas, nothing stops the man Men’s Fitness magazine once described as the fittest man in the world.

“Today, I feel pretty good,” Karnazes, 48, said. “I can’t believe how many people have been out on the roadside cheering me along. It’s been incredible. Once I crossed the border (into Ohio), something changed — in a good way.”

Karnazes said this is the most difficult run he’s ever attempted — and that’s saying something. In 2004, he won the Badwater Ultramarathon, one of the world’s toughest races because of its location in Death Valley, Calif. In 2005, he ran 350 miles without stopping. In 2006, he ran 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days.

Karnazes seems immortal, a super hero in sneakers.

“He’ll tell you he’s not,” said Brittany Forgione, the on-the-road publicist for the Run Across America. “He’s just a normal guy. He loves to run. He’s just trying to inspire people.”

The run and the 5Ks Karnazes is hosting across the country benefit Action for Healthy Kids, an organization devoted to reducing and preventing childhood obesity and undernourishment.

Just the sight of Karnazes on the road inspires many people, said John Korff, another person involved in organizing the run. One man stopped Karnazes in California to tell Karnazes his book, “Ultramarathon Man,” and the message inside it, had saved his life. The man weighed 350 pounds and knew he was going to die. He turned his life around because of Karnazes.

The inspiration goes both ways. One day Karnazes passed a group of preschoolers cheering, “Go, Dean, go!” Even the seemingly invincible Karnazes needs that support.

“Some days are better than others,” Karnazes said. “It’s been grueling. I haven’t had that much joint pain, but a lot of my muscles are sore.”

Korff, an ultrarunner himself, ran with Karnazes through a hail storm earlier in the run.

“Does this bother you?” Korff asked.

“Does what bother me?” Karnazes said.

Karnazes also has the assistance of a great support team. Jason Koop, who has worked with Lance Armstrong in the past, has been with Karnazes for about 80 percent of the trip. Koop and two other runners, one a former Navy Seal, often run with Karnazes. Another person rides behind Karnazes on a bike, communicating with the team in a support vehicle two to three miles in front of Karnazes. The person in the car gives directions to the person on the bike, who directs Karnazes, telling him to turn right or left or — or as often has been the case in recent days along Route 40 — to keep going straight.

“Sometimes he wants to run alone,” Korff said. “Sometimes he wants somebody to talk to. It totally depends.”

The support team keeps Karnazes fed and hydrated. He drinks a ton of club soda, Korff said, not to mention coconut water, Gatorade and low-calorie Monster energy drinks. Throughout the day, the team combines various ingredients — yogurt, salmon, raisins, etc. — in a big bowl and dishes it out to Karnazes in Dixie Cups.

Even with all the planning and assistance, in the back of his mind, Karnazes still has doubts about whether he can finish.

“Anything can happen,” he said. “You could twist an ankle a day before the finish and not make it. Forty miles a day is not easy to do.”

5K information

About 200 adults have registered to run in a 5K event in Springfield with Dean Karnazes and “Regis and Kelly’s Run Across America.” The cost is $50. One hundred kids will be allowed to run for free. Check-in begins at 8 a.m. at the Avetec parking lot on East National Road. There will be a short speech at the start with Ohio first lady Karen Kasich in attendance. The run begins at 9 a.m. It passes around the Melody Cruise Drive-In, continues on East National, turns left on Bird Road and finishes at Reid Primary and Middle School. Runners will be bused back to their cars at Avetec.

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