37 DOWN, 13 TO GO…

City of Lakes Marathon, Minnesota
Number of Runners: 55
Elevation: 834’
Time: 4:22:06
Weather: 38 degrees, overcast and chilly

Due to the traffic in Chicago, the drive last night was longer than anticipated, so we got in very late and had to get up early this morning. The day started with another blood draw, and both arms got stuck this time. A few hours of sleep and a dual needle stick isn’t the most cheery start to the day. But I tried my best to remain upbeat. Then when I stepped outside, a blast of cold air stopped me in my tracks. It was near freezing, and the forecast wasn’t for it to warm up much at all. Today was looking like a rough one.

And it got worse. We were nearly half an hour late getting to the starting line. I was so concerned about the other runners being out there in the freezing cold waiting for me. More than my lack of sleep or sore arms, I was worried about the other runners.

When we got to the start, however, they gave me an ovation as I jumped out of the car. I couldn’tbelieve it. Here I was half an hour behind schedule, and they’re all standing there in the cold graciously applauding my arrival. When I started to apologize about being late, they would have none of it. This group was so positive, so energetic, so compassionate, they were worried about me and thought little of standing in the freezing cold until I got there. These were some of the greatest individuals imaginable, and this was the warmest reception I could ever ask for.

And it got better. Once we started running, the warm sentiments were like a ray of sunlight shining down upon us. Runners had come from across the nation to be here today: a couple were from Southern California (where the temperature today is 80 degrees), there was a gentleman who’d flown in from Denver, several Missourians were in the group, a token Canadian, and a whole host of folks from neighboring states. There were runners of all abilities and backgrounds, from ultramarathoners to first-time marathoners, from college students to surgeons. We all shared one common passion, a love of running.

And run we did. The entire course was on a paved footpath, so there were no concerns about motortraffic. It was a scenic course around Lake Harriet and Lake Calhoun, with duck and geese crossings along the way. There were supporters at many spots on the course, holding signs and offering food andencouragement. Many were kids, with posters they had made for class projects. Everybody got a kick out of their spirit.

Temperatures warmed slightly during the middle of the run, but cooled considerably toward the end. But the cold didn’t stop anybody from completing what they’d set out to do. In fact, a few who had only intended of running a half-marathon ended up doing the entire thing!

This was a hardy bunch. Standing around the finish line was freezing, but not even the bitter cold could subdue the warm hearts in this group. We laughed at the cold, saying this was a day none of us would soon forget. I signed some books and t-shirts, congratulated the first-time marathoners and all the other runners on their accomplishment, and chatted with everyone until the crowd departed and I was the last one remaining.

I’d hardly felt tired the entire day, but then the cumulative lack of sleep started to take hold, as did the chilly air. It’s sometimes difficult to run a marathon and then type up the daily blog afterward, especially when you’re sleep deprived and cold. But a lovely young lady had given me a gift today. She’d approached me at the finish and handed me two beautiful coloring books for Alexandria and Nicholas. This was not the only gift she bestowed upon me, however. She went on to explain the tragic loss of her friends daughter, saying the precious little girl used to love these coloring books. Her mother was grieving deeply and the one small thing she looked forward to every day was reading my daily updates on the website.

With tears in my eyes, I thanked her for the gifts. The coloring books were special, yet the inspiration to keep doing my best, despite any amount of exhaustion and fatigue, was an even bigger gift.

With tears still in my eyes, I bid farewell to Minnesota and the many great people that touched me today. Your weather numbed my bones, but your spirit warmed my heart.

Sincere regards,
Dean

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Comments

[Valeria]

Dean,
Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this amazing experience. You trully are superman :) I am so glad I got to meet you and run with you today. Thanks for the book, I WILL look for all the tips I can find to (hopefully soon) make it to the Hardrock hundred miler. Can't wait to see how far I can go. Thanks to you and and the Endurance 50 team. Happy running,
Valeria :)
PS: I am from Argentina and rather new to the US, so you have one more nationality to add to your list of countries supporting you and your great cause.

[Kurt]

Fantastic run and glad the hearts of Minnesota warmed yours. Keep it going. We are all rooting for you more than you can know.

Kurt

[Craig]

Dean,
Today is a day I will never forget. Even though I could not make the run with you and a great bunch of people, due to work. However my best friend did make it up to run. I asked her if by chance if you were willing to call just to say hello.
I ended up in a meeting and unavalible. I did recieve your message. I cannot tell you in words how huge that was to hear your message. There are many great people in this world and you are one of them!
Thanks again, and one day I hope to meet you on the trail.

Craig

[Craig]

Dean,
Today is a day I will never forget. Even though I could not make the run with you and a great bunch of people, due to work. However my best friend did make it up to run. I asked her if by chance if you were willing to call just to say hello.
I ended up in a meeting and unavalible. I did recieve your message. I cannot tell you in words how huge that was to hear your message. There are many great people in this world and you are one of them!
Thanks again, and one day I hope to meet you on the trail.

Craig

[Vickie Adams]

Dean,
You have put on an incredible show. I have enjoyed watching your progress. I just wanted to say that the comment you shared with us about the little boy running, was very up lifting. As the story goes, he was running and you said something like he had good form, he turned to you and said, "Mr. Karnazes, I run like I mean it"! That was the greatest story. Well I have seen you speaking at Bizz Johnson Marathon in Susanville and have watched you compete and finish Badwater, now I hope to see you in New York. My husband and I are running the marathon in Nov. and we will be visiting Chris Burgland at the Expo. hopefully we will see you as well. You signed my copy of, "Ultra Marathon Man", while on the Whitney Portal Rd.while finishing Badwater that meant so much to me. You have a good heart. Thanks for sharing your experiences with us.
"Run like you mean it"
sincerely,
Vickie Adams

[John Gerstner-Minneapolis]

I had the pleasure to take part in the Endurance 50 here in cold and blustery Minneapolis today. My training buddy Brian and I started the day in Deans honor...we ran from my house to the start line. For us however, not quite a "Deanesque" accomplishment. It meant we covered 26.7 miles today. But it also meant we were able to run with our running hero around "The Lakes" where we run everyday. Our stomping grounds with Dean Karnazes!

Dean greeted us as if it were his firtst marathon of fifty, 72 degrees and sunny not marathon number thirty seven, 30 degrees and windy. I think the first words out of his mouth were THANK YOU for being here before hello. This is what Dean is all about, very humble. As we ran together I asked Dean questions about himself....windsurfing, public speaking. He answered cordially and interested, but redirected conversation toward the KIDS, his inspiration and passion. When we saw our first kid, my 5 yr. old son Max holding a "Dean Rocks" sign (kid-made, penmanship and all), Dean smiled and ran over. The adults were "backburner" for that fleeting moment, and none of them cared. Team Endurance 50-Minneapolis was proud of their running hero. It was about camaraderie today. Meeting and talking to as many fellow runners as possible. Why are runners such such nice people!?

We all cheered each other on as we crossed the finish line, many small groups hand in hand with their new friends. Dean had high fives and hugs for everybody. He signed autographs and posed for pictures with everyone. It was so cold at this point I don't know how his hands worked to write. It was a good thing for Dean and his staff the North Face is a sponsor! Deans staff was awesome....they were willing to help the runners in any way. They went out of their way to strike up a conversation with you! What a great day!

As Dean said many times today when runners crossed the finish line: "If you are wearing number 37 today, you're the winner," I know one thing, the guy wearing number 50 in New York City in November is a winner at life. You are an inspiration, good luck with your mission.....the KIDS!

Warm regards from frosty Minnesota,
John Gerstner

[Darren Durrett]

Way to go Team Dean! You are an inspiration. I just finished your book and signed up for an Ironman. Your story is ultra motivating. Keep putting one foot in front of the other and know I am cheering you on from Texas!

[Greg]

WOW!! Keep up the great work Dean. I am counting down the days until Marine Corps Marathon! This will be my second go at it. Ran it last year until my knee decided to stop moving at mile 16, immobilized it and gimped for the remaining 10. I was never a runner until I fell into it as a cross train, then I read your book and it inspired me to go for a full marathon... When my knee went out, I just kept thinking, quitting is not an option. Your dedication inspires so many, myself included! Hope to see you out there. The forecast here for Sunday morning is mid 30's for pre race then climbing up into the 40's during the race.

Cheers!
Greg

[DAVID A. HARDEN]

Dear Dean:
Just wanted to give a word of encouragement to keep going strong. You are a real inspiration to me and my life. I live in Dallas and really wanted to join you a few weeks ago but work would not permit. I hope to meet you one day as your example has helped blow the lid off of my expatiations for every endeavor of my life including running. Just 13 more to go; I’m prying for a strong finish; God be with you!!

Warmly,

David Harden

p.s. – I’m on pace for 175 miles in the month of October – would be my best since I started running just over 2 years ago. Thanks, Dean

[Brad]

Dean,

I have been out of town for a few days and just now was able to catch up on your progress. After reading everything for the past few days I am glad to see what running the 3 marathons taught me is true. That rather it be a person running 3 marathons, 6 marathons, are just trying to put one foot in front of the other to build up to a mile. everybody has their own story to tell and their own challenges. I can only imagine the cloud you are flying on after hearing all the stories you have. I am still flying high after Baton Rouge.

Keep it up.
P.S> All my clients now know a very powerful message you taught me.

Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must...but never stop moving.

I will keep this in mind when I comlete my first Ultra on Saturday.

[Henry Mazaleski]

Dean, you are TOO funny! Won't you ever stop? Great job, btw! Hope to see you back in SF. Henry

[Duff McLaren]

Hello Dean: Not sure if you have time to read all these, but here goes. Rumour has it that you will be running your 50th race in New York.
I will be running with Elizabeth Hurdman who has RP and is a member of Achilles Track Club of Canada. Dave McConkey and I will be guiding her for the marathon. She wrote me and said "Maybe Dean will run with us. How cool would that be!" We are planning on running the marathon in 4 hours.
So I thought. Hey why not let you know we will be there.
Elizabeth has run a 50 miler and a couple of 50km. as well as a number of marathons. She does not let her visual disability slow her down (think Marla Runyan)
In closing, you are doing a great job, so hang in there. And watch out for us in New York City. Maybe say hi to Elizabeth.

[Laurel]

Hi Dean,

I was not able to watch you run the twin cities marathon yesterday, but I was there in spirit with my girlfriend (who gave you the books for your children), who I’m sure had enough excitement upon meeting you for both of us. My husband and I are both runners (I fall into the novice category), and for so very many reasons I find what you are doing to be amazing.
I am touched to know that my story made an impression on you, because I really wanted you to know how much your story has meant to me. If there is one thing that my daughter taught me in her life (and of course, there were many), it is that that there is always something beautiful to be found, no matter where we find ourselves. And every day I try to live up to her example. During almost a year of intensive cancer treatment, I watched her, at two and a half years old, rise above unthinkable situations with humor, creativity, love, and a sheer determination that life is to be lived, and to be enjoyed every moment possible.
When things were very tough, I kept my balance by remembering that for all the sadness and unfairness that was around us, there was just as much beauty, spontaneity, and joy occurring in the world. We are all in this together, and I believe in doing what we can to keep the balance – to add whatever beauty and inspiration we can into the mix - whenever possible. This understanding is now what still keeps me going forward, step by step.
We said goodbye to our girl five months ago today. Of course, some days are harder than others to keep going forward. On one such day, I had the great fortune of remembering that my friend had told me to check out your blog. It turned out to be a concentrated reminder of all that I love about life. The journey you've undertaken, the inspiration that you give to others, the inspiration that you take from others, and the way that you’ve brought people together are beautiful expressions of what the human spirit is capable of. On top of everything else, the effort that you put in each day to allow so many others to share in your experience, is truly amazing. For all of that, thank you.

Laurel

[Julie]

Dean --

I had such a great pleasure of meeting and running with you here in Minneapolis. Listening to your stories and reading some of your book in the past few days, I'm amazed at the events of your life. The feats that you have been presented with and overcome are tremendous -- you embody empowerment and exceptional will. Now having met you, it makes sense how you do it with your cheery disposition and optimism.

I have to tell you I'm not looking forward to Nov. 6th. I read this blog daily and it's getting to be like the end of a great book -- I know we're getting close to the end and I want to hear about chapter 50, but i will be so sad to not have your blog to look forward to.

Watching the news, the stories that surround us daily are ones of murder, rape, and war. Hearing you tell your stories in each state remind me of all the positive in the world. There's barely a day that goes by that I'm not brought to tears by your stories -- not tears of sadness and depression, but tears of an overwhelming realization of so many good people out there!

I met 50 of those great people running yesterday and I just want thank you so much for that opportunity. You're for sure at the top of that list of greatness!

Be proud of yourself for overcoming 50 marathons on Nov. 5th, but be even more proud for being the drop of goodness whose waves will be felt for a very long time!

Thanks again! I'd wish you luck, but you don't need no stinkin' luck! ;)

Julie

[Rob]

Hi Just A thought I ran A few years back with seven Tamara runners from Mexico. It was the 100 mile Wastach, Utah race. The 1st Tamara too finish was four hours ahead of frist place. When all seven men had finished. I gave each runner a nice dress jacket. Now they are running for there people which had no food. They were not allowed to run officially but I filled up there van with food to take home. What a wonderful idea to have these poor runners run along side you to help you run for three days none stop maybe
400 miles non-stop. Do a fund rasier for food for there
families. They love running and are the best in the world. I am just an old runner that is in a wheel-chair and wished he could have been doing what you are doing. Sharing hope with the masses. My daughter had a friend that was hit buy a car an died last year. I am a priest and my prays are with that little runner. My love is with you Dean of hope.....

[Raymond Dehn]

Dean,

Thank you for an incredible experience, little did I know that I would be completing a marathon on Monday. My original intent was to run the endurance 50 as a training run for the US Half Marathon coming up November 5th in San Francisco. I figured that I would run half the distance and then meet you when you finished, well I ran the “whole thing.” What made this incredible for me, was not only did I not intend to run the full distance, but Sunday morning when I awoke I had some lower back pain that became more severe as the day went on. Sunday night before going to bed, I could only bend about 5 degrees without pain. Monday morning I still had some slight pain and thought I might not be able to run for more than a mile. My hope was that my back would loosen up and I figured that if you were running 50 marathons in 50 days that surely you have pain. My back did loosen up; you along with all the runners were an incredible inspiration and a big thank you to the guy who inspired me to complete the distance when I thought about cutting the race short at mile 23.

I had to leave quickly after the race for a meeting at 2:00 pm and wished I could have participated in the post celebration more. Thanks for quickly singing my book and thanks again for such an inspirational experience. All the best in the future, this is a day I will never forget.

Keep running,
Ray