Dean Karnazes podcast has great advice for new runners!

The Bay Area's Ultramarathon man dispenses timeless advice in his latest interview.

For those of you who are not familiar with Marin's native son, Dean Karnazes has run across America in 75 days, run 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days, won the Badwater Ultra-Marathon – a 135 mile race across Death Valley in 120°F heat, ran a marathon to the South Pole in temperatures of -40°F. He was the 2008 Overall Winner of the 4 Deserts Race Series, he’s run 10 – 200 mile relay races – solo! He’s been named to Time Magazine’s List of the 100 Most Influential People in The World. And this is only to name some of his accomplishments as a runner.

 Dean is a very polarizing figure in the ultramarathon world. Some draw inspiration from his books and public appearances and others tear him to pieces for being overly celebrated for minor accomplishments. Let me throw my two cents in on this topic. Dean is a great role model for our youth through Karno's Kids, an excellent ambassador for the exploding ultramarathon scene and a role model for how to make a living while doing what you love. These are all undisputed facts. What is disputed is the seemingly disproportionate amount of attention he gets from the media while other guys who are actually winning big races get little to no attention. To this I will offer you cheese with that whine!

 

Dean wrote a book around the turn of the century that captivated the imagination of millions of people who up until then had never even heard the word ultramarathon even though it had been going on for decades. He then took his media savvy and built an empire. Many have followed in his footsteps writing their own books and I have read them. Dean has even come out with a few books since his first was released. Some were good, some not so good but none were as motivating as Dean's first book: Ultramarathon Man- Confessions of an all night runner. Because of that first book and because he pulled a few "stunts" like running on a treadmill in Times Square people started tearing him down for being nothing more than a Kardashian, famous for no discernible or legitimate reason. Elite ultra runners who routinely finish in the top of the hardest races go unnoticed for one reason. Poor marketing skills. If they want more lime light then go get it, make it happen. Don't complain that your not where you want to be because of this or that. Losers do that and the public doesn't gravitate towards losers.

Enough about Dean's polarizing personality. You can make up your own mind in regards to that. The reason for this article was to get people to listen to this podcast he recently did. I think it is a great listen, especially for new runners. He has some really sound advice that is well worth listening to. Click this link and give it a listen. If you have any advice of your own that you think a newbie could benefit from leave it in a comment below.

See you in the woods,

Jonathan