How nice to learn about your article from a former NL classmate. I was one of Bob Knoll’s runners back in Junior and High School. I think he was a complex coach because he could inspire and frustrate. You hit the bull’s eye about his competitive nature.

I just started seriously running again myself and am training for a marathon. This weekend I am running the New London 5K at the Firelands festival.

But the best one yet has been a blog about Frank McKinney, a guy who just finished his 4th ultra-marathon, the Badlands invitation-only in Death Valley, t 135-mile non-stop race from 282 feet below sea-level to 8500 feet above (IT must be completed in less than 60 hours.) He points out that only 42 people (till this July, when he made 43) had completed 4, compared to 1100 who have climbed Everest. But on the non-competition side, the glory goes to his team and also to a guy who, with his doctor, was trying his 16th race, dropped out (b/c he had just completed 3200 miles across the US in 56 days, the equivalent of 2 marathons a day!). These two stopped to help doctor a blister on his foot, enabling him to finish this 4th race!

http://www.frank-mckinney.com/blog.asp?article=130
Frank McKinney’s blog chronicling this race is the commentary (and application to “real” life) of a guy (www.Frank-McKinney.com) who is this extreme in his approach to all of life. Proceeds from this race and other sources go to feeding and housing the homeless in Haiti. He builds $29 MILLION “green” houses and makes huge profits (taking huge risks!) in real estate, but also builds $10/s.f. house in Haiti and around the world…

He’s been interviewed by Oprah…yet he walks his 9-year-old daughter and her friend to school everyday and has written a children’s fantasy book (see his website) based on that. He goes to mass regularly @ 6:45 am w/ her, drives 2 cars (a 1998 Yugo and a 2002 Honda Insight hybrid), and is extremely disciplined, and extremely successful, in multiple areas. His book MAKE IT BIG gives 49 principles for learning how to be great in all of life, the 49th principle being that there are always new principles to add…

Check it out!

He not only finished the race but won it and broke the race record ! I guess when you do something you love, the unthinkable happens.

http://www.my-inspirational-quotes.com/inspirational-stories/cliff-young-a-farmer-who-inspires-a-nation/

We can use this in every day life,
If we would do things with likeness and satisfaction and try to find smth good for ourself in each situation it would be much easier in life.

This was a great story. Just additional confirmation of what I’ve always known.

Pam