What have you been doing with your life? I certainly haven’t been running like this:
On September 12, 2016, 29-year-old ultrarunner Pete Kostelnick left the steps of San Francisco’s City Hall at 8 a.m. to run across the United States. Why? I can’t come up with a good reason other than to challenge himself and say he did it.
He did. On October 24, 2016 at 5:30 p.m., he ascended the steps of New York City Hall’s and broke the world record for running across America. It took him a mere 42 days, 6 hours, and 30 minutes. He’ll be in the next Guinness Book of World Records.
How he did it:
He slept in an RV at night until about 3 a.m. He would then run 40 miles at a 9 to 10-minute per mile pace, avoiding the heat of the day. This was no doubt especially helpful through the middle plain states where temperatures are still quite high. He’d then take a short lunch break and then run another 30 miles. After 70 miles per day, he’d sleep and recover. Everyday involved about 14 hours of running every day, seven days a week.
He did take one day off and ran less than 70 miles on two days total. At the end of the trip, in New Jersey, he ran 87 miles to New York in one day to ensure his world-record time.
Kostelnick had a support van that would meet him every two miles with nutrition and first aid. On October 16, his van was in an accident and totaled. He kept going while his support crew quickly tried to get new transportation.
He battled snowstorm, heat and 35-mile per hour winds. It didn’t seem to slow him down as he kept up with his 70 miles/day run.
Congrats!