Michael Wardian set out to run a virtual ultra marathon
and then kept going!
Runner Michael Wardian, shown here in 2016, completed nearly 263 miles in barely 2½ days, winning the Quarantine Backyard Ultra this week. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post)
In recent days of this crazy time, Michael Wardian did a crazy thing. He went for a run that lasted two-and-a-half days!
Northern Virginia native and member of the Arlington Sports Hall of Fame, Wardian has competed in many extreme distance races. This one, titled the Quarantine Backyard Ultra, was a virtual race inspired by the social distancing recommendations that make a standard road race impossible right now. In winning the event, Wardian ran the equivalent of 10 marathons, a little farther than the straight distance between Washington and Pittsburgh.
Of course, there were rules to maintain social distances. Some racers competed on treadmills, others ran around their houses, or in neighborhoods, or on frozen lakes. One entrant from Dubai ran around his living room. To begin, there were 2,400 entrants from 60 countries around the world. But for the last 14.5 hours, Wardian had only one challenger.
For each 4.167-mile lap in the race, Wardian made 10 loops around the block in his Arlington neighborhood. He completed that track more than 620 times, consistently clocking sub-10-minute miles. His fastest lap was his final one at just over 7 minutes.
Wardian is well-known on the ultra circuit. He has raced against horses and completed marathons on seven continents--twice! This is the first time he logged so many hours and miles consecutively.
This story was reported by Rick Maese in The Washington Post on April 7, 2020. Read the full story here.
Northern Virginia native and member of the Arlington Sports Hall of Fame, Wardian has competed in many extreme distance races. This one, titled the Quarantine Backyard Ultra, was a virtual race inspired by the social distancing recommendations that make a standard road race impossible right now. In winning the event, Wardian ran the equivalent of 10 marathons, a little farther than the straight distance between Washington and Pittsburgh.
Of course, there were rules to maintain social distances. Some racers competed on treadmills, others ran around their houses, or in neighborhoods, or on frozen lakes. One entrant from Dubai ran around his living room. To begin, there were 2,400 entrants from 60 countries around the world. But for the last 14.5 hours, Wardian had only one challenger.
For each 4.167-mile lap in the race, Wardian made 10 loops around the block in his Arlington neighborhood. He completed that track more than 620 times, consistently clocking sub-10-minute miles. His fastest lap was his final one at just over 7 minutes.
Wardian is well-known on the ultra circuit. He has raced against horses and completed marathons on seven continents--twice! This is the first time he logged so many hours and miles consecutively.
This story was reported by Rick Maese in The Washington Post on April 7, 2020. Read the full story here.