|
|
|
|  |
| Career Highlights |
2000 -- 200 IN 2000....Ran the marathon distance 200 time in one year, all on certified marathon courses in 21 different cities.1990 -- Across the State In 28....A three day, 50 mile a day, run across Indiana to benefit Habitat for Humanity.
1998 -- NO Name....29 days of 26.2 miles to mark the 29th running of the NYC Marathon. 1st 28 were in Central Park on the original NYC Marathon course, and 29th was race day.
1996 -- Marathon of Marathons....26 consecutive days of running the Boston Marathon Course to mark the 100th running of the Boston Marathon.
1993 -- 93 IN '93....what started out to be 93 marathons in 1993, became 104 marathons in 1993, eclipsing Ed Baretto's record of 101.
1991 -- Shore to Shore in 104....a solo run from San Francisco to Washington DC, in support of Habitat for Humanity's 15th Anniversary.
|
Jerry got a late start running, beginning at the age of 29. Did his first marathon at the age of 36, in Philadelphia. Ran a 3:32. His second was 3 years later in Chicago, where he ran a 3:23, which is still his PR for his trademark distance. A quick calculation and you can see that he didn't run his first marathon until 7 years after he started running. This is also the same time he gave up his addiction to alcohol and drugs. Within a few years running had become his substitute addiction.
Having conquered the ultimate distance….the marathon, (remember, this was back in 1985, when the marathon was still a race, and not a fund raising activity), Jerry had the fortune( either "mis" or "good," depending on who's telling the story) of meeting an "ultra" runner. He found out that there were people crazy enough to run more than 26.2 miles. But since he was already addicted to the sport, he couldn't just say no when his buddy encouraged him to register for a 50K, and then they found a 60k, then a 100K then the final challenge…..100 miles. Jerry completed them all on the first try. He wasn't competitive, but that was okay, because the ultra community was a different breed; just kind of a laid back, no hype, no expo, no prize money, see-if-you-can-actually-run-this-far group of people.
But it wasn't long after successfully running 100 miles that Jerry's "challenge your limits" philosophy got the best of him. (Not to mention his addiction to self-abuse, and his propensity for philanthropy). He'd heard somewhere of the multi-day concept of ultra running, so with the help of a Habitat for Humanity volunteer, he planned a 3-day, 50-mile per day, trek across Indiana to raise money for HfH. This Across the State in 28 event took place over Thanksgiving weekend, 1990. (28 was the total number of running hours Jerry was shooting for….he made it in 29 plus). While planning this event, Jerry became aware of the fact that Habitat for Humanity was having a 15 week, nationwide, building and fundraising campaign for the following year…..their 15th anniversary. Seemed only logical to Jerry that if he could do one State in 1990, he could surely do 12 States in 1991. So in June of '91, Jerry left San Francisco with Washington DC as his finish line. 15 weeks later….he was there. Now this surely must be the end of his "limit" challenging. Wrong!
Men's Fitness Journal; Oct. 1991, Trivial Fact: most marathons run in one year…..87. Jerry thinks to himself: "I just ran an average of 27 miles a day, six days a week, for the entire summer; that's more than 87 marathons." New plan…….93 IN '93. Result…..104 marathons in '93. There's more.
While running with a member of the Achilles Track Club, as a "guide," in the 1995 Boston marathon, Jerry realized just what a huge event the 100th running of Boston would be in 1996. So how does he leave his mark on The Run of the Century? Easy. Run a marathon of marathons. Run the course every day for 26 days in a row; last day being The Run of the Century. Once again…..Success.
1997 was an off year for Jerry as far as running goes. But his creative juices continued to flow. Now he's not only completely addicted to running 26.2 miles, he's also hooked on the attention and celebrity he has received for all these rather unbelievable achievements. So to feed both of these powerful aphrodisiacs, he has to come up with another "project." 1998 -In March, run LA 13 days in a row, just because the race is 13 years old, and in November, run New York 29 days in a row for the same reason….it's 29. Mission accomplished. Jerry plans to make these bi-coastal, multi-day "stunts" an annual thing, but as 1999 begins, and talk of The New Millenium pervades the press, Jerry realizes that he has to do something that will top all his previous accomplishments. The answer…..200 IN 2000. 12 marathon cities; 17 days in a row on that city's course, and he'd have it. Well…..it turned into 21 cities, with sometimes as few as 6 days in a row, but on December 10th, 2000, at the inaugural HOPS Marathon by Tampa Bay, America's Marathon Man, completed his 200th 26.2 miler for the year. And just as a parting shot; as the icing in the cake; as a way to go out with a flurry; his 200th was the fastest of the year……4:05:30.
|
|
|
|
