Amazing Runner – Steve Knowlton Ran 142 Marathons in a Row for 100 Days!

I just read of this amazing feat that Steve Knowlton, 45, of Minnesota, USA, did. He ran the equivalent of 142 marathons in a row across America! 

For those who have experienced running the full 42.5km, we all know how hard it is to run a marathon. Just one even gave me a lasting injury; how much more damage could 142 consecutive marathons have done on my body?

Not that Steve got off unscathed. He’s also human. At some point during his run, he sustained shin splints, swollen ankles, and, of course, weight loss. It is, after all, the ultimate weight loss plan ever. He also used up six running shoes (the sixth pair was given to him by a passerby). 

But he never took a single day’s break, not one! According to the report, Steve knew that if he stopped for one day, the momentum would be gone, and it would become easier for him to take more and more breaks.

I can’t even imagine how difficult it is to run 142 marathons. Even two consecutive marathons in a month(!) is out of my capacity. 

Steve is not a newbie marathoner though. He had run 43 marathons before, and was driven to finish this amazing feat for a cause. Diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease at 17, he wanted to raise awareness and funds for an organization dedicated to research about this illness. 

Not everybody could do what he did. “It’s all about your attitude and how you’re going to deal with it,” he said. “I had my good and bad days, but I just prayed God gave me the strength to get through each day.” 

With the amount of publicity he raised, Steve not only succeeded in making people aware of what Crohn’s Disease is, he has also become an inspiration for everyone who has an illness or a disability. Indeed, if he can accomplish something like this, we might, too, if we only put our hearts into it.