Quite the ‘feet’: Alberta man to run 250 marathons for New Year’s resolution
COCHRANE, Alta. – Martin Parnell’s New Year’s resolution goes a bit beyond promises of quitting smoking, losing weight or going to the gym more often.
The 54-year-old semi-retired engineer, originally from England, will attempt to run the equivalent of 250 marathons over the next year. His quest is set to begin Jan. 1.
“I’ll be running five a week from Sunday to Thursday, basically every week in 2010,” Parnell said in a recent interview with the The Canadian Press.
“I think it’s possible. I’m going to give it a darn good try and yeah, I’ve put in a lot of planning in the last six months trying to get this prepared.”
Parnell, an ultra-marathon runner who has competed in Ironman competitions, began competitive running seven years ago. He has chosen the 42.2-kilometre Cochrane-Foothills marathon course because it’s close to his home and to the beautiful backdrop of the snow-covered foothills of the Rocky Mountains.
He has run the route 20 times in the past year, but will have to up his game considerably in order to reach his goal.
Parnell hopes to raise $250,000 for Right to Play, a humanitarian organization that uses sport and play programs to improve health, develop life skills and foster peace for children and communities in some of the most disadvantaged areas of the world.
“Five years ago I did a cycling trip across Africa and cycled from Cairo to Cape Town and it was a real eye-opener for me. I met a lot of kids along the way and I’ve done a lot of sport in my life,” Parnell explained.
“I met kids and we played soccer and table tennis and that was a real inspiration for me of how sport can help kids.”
If Parnell completes his goal, he will have gone 10,500 kilometres – a distance equal to running from Cochrane to Boston, then across the northern United States to Seattle, up to Vancouver and back to Cochrane.
His progress will be tracked on a virtual map and his mileage confirmed by a GPS transmitter, which will measure distance as well as his heart rate and blood pressure. His website is www.marathonquest250.com.
“I’m not in bad shape,” he said with a laugh, adding: “I hope.”
His family doctor recommended against his original plan of 365 marathons in 365 days, suggesting instead he run five days a week and take two days off.
“I think I’m in pretty fair shape. I’m going to be monitored for the whole year. I’m getting medical tests every month. I’m using some GPS data that will monitor me physically and if there’s something untoward we’ll have to address that.”
Although most of his running will be done in the Cochrane area, he will spend 40 days running at schools and is signed up for a dozen marathon races.
His first race is in Calgary. He’s also qualified for marathons in Boston, Vancouver, Victoria, Las Vegas and San Francisco. He plans to do a snowshoe race in Yellowknife.
The feat is possible, said John Stanton, a best-selling Canadian author of four books on running and founder of the Running Room.
“The slower he goes the higher the possibility of his success. Is it possible? Absolutely. Probably the most famous Canadian proved things are possible – Terry Fox ran a marathon every day until he got to Thunder Bay,” Stanton said from his office in Edmonton.
“Would I recommend it to anybody? Not a chance.”
Stanton said Parnell is on the right track with his plan to take a couple of days off a week, but the mental toll will be tough.
“The mind numbingness of it is one challenge and with the physical overuse there is the exposure to injuries that he could sustain would be another thing.”
Parnell realizes the weather likely won’t co-operate during the first few months. He did force himself to run the route in -36 C prior to Christmas.
“I’ve got the trail shoes with wool socks. Usually two to three layers on the legs, three to four layers up top, normally two pairs of gloves with three pairs of handwarmers inside. On the head normally a balaclava, a mask and ski goggles.”
He also carries three litres of water in a camelback to help with hydration.
The possibility of running the same marathon course 180 times doesn’t worry Parnell.
“I actually find running this area spiritual with the mountains and with the scenery around me and so on. I find it really uplifting.”
Copyright © 2009 Canadian Press