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Dean Karnazes Biography & Facts

Dean Karnazes (English: car-NEH-zis; born Constantinos Karnazes; August 23, 1962), is an American ultramarathon runner, and author of Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner, which details ultra endurance running for the general public. Early life Karnazes was born in Inglewood, California to parents of Greek ancestry; Nick and Fran Karnazes. He had two siblings; brother Kraig and a sister, Pary, who died in an automobile accident at the age of 18. His father worked as a field naturalist for the Orange County Department of Education in 2006. The younger Karnazes brother grew up in Diamond Bar, California and San Clemente, California. In 2006 he said that he remained close to the friends he made at San Clemente High School, which was also attended by both his siblings. Growing up in the city of San Clemente gave him a love of the outdoors, and an appreciation of its small-town feel. At the time his parents still lived in the house where he had grown up. Pre-running career While attending kindergarten, Karnazes began running home from school; he took up running for fun. At first, Karnazes ran direct routes from school to his home. Later, he began to run diversionary routes that would extend his run and take him into uncharted territory. By third grade, he was participating in and organizing short running events with other children. As Karnazes grew older, he began testing his limits: by age eleven he had hiked rim-to-rim across the Grand Canyon and had climbed Mount Whitney, the highest mountain in the contiguous United States; for his 12th birthday, he cycled 40 miles (64 km) to his grandparents' home for fun without telling his parents. In junior high school, Karnazes met Jack McTavish, a track coach who became Karnazes' mentor and introduced him to the appeal of long-distance running. McTavish's basic running instructions were simple: "Go out hard and finish harder." Using this motto as a basis, that season Karnazes won the 1-mile (1.6 km) California State Long-Distance Championship held on the Mt SAC track. At the end of the race, Coach McTavish commented: "Good work son, how'd it feel?" To this Karnazes replied: "Well, going out hard was the right thing to do. It felt pretty good." The coach replied: "If it felt good, you didn't push hard enough. It's supposed to hurt like hell." A week after the race, Karnazes' father's job was transferred to San Clemente. These were the last comments the coach ever said to Karnazes, who has stated that he lives by these words to this day. In 1976, as a high school freshman at San Clemente High, Karnazes joined the cross country team under Benner Cummings. Cummings' running theory was that running is about finding your inner peace; his motto was "run with your heart". That season, Karnazes was awarded "Most Inspirational" team member. Karnazes also ran his first endurance event that year, a fundraising run on a track for underprivileged children, finishing in just under six hours and raising a dollar a lap from his sponsors. While most students ran only 10–15 laps around the track, he ran 105, a full marathon. When the cross-country season ended he signed up for the track team but did not get along with the coach. After walking off the track team he then stopped running for fifteen years. Running highlights and race results Karnazes has completed a number of endurance events, mostly running events, but also a swimming event. Most notable achievements include: Ran 350 miles (560 km) in 80 hours and 44 minutes without sleep in 2005 Completed "The Relay", a 199-mile (320 km) run from Calistoga to Santa Cruz, eleven times Ran a marathon to the South Pole in −13 °F (−25 °C) temperatures without snowshoes in 2002 Ran a marathon in each of the 50 states in 50 consecutive days in 2006 Other athletic achievements include: Winner, Badwater Ultramarathon (135 miles (217 km) across Death Valley in 120 °F (49 °C) temperatures), 2004 (with five other top-10 finishes from 2000 to 2008) Winner, Vermont Trail 100 Mile Endurance Run, 2006 Overall Winner, 4 Deserts Race Series, 2008 American Ultrarunning Team, World Championships, 2005, 2008 148 miles (238 km) in 24 hours on a treadmill, 2004 Eleven-time 100-Mile/1 Day Silver Buckleholder at the Western States Endurance Run (i.e., better than ten twenty-four-hour finishes), 1995–2006 Ran 3,000 miles (4,800 km) across the United States from Disneyland to New York City in 75 days, running 40 to 50 miles (65 to 80 km) per day, 2011 Swimming across the San Francisco Bay Other honors include: Competitor magazine Endurance Athlete of the Year Award winner, 2008, 2006, 2005 ESPN ESPY Award winner, "Best Outdoor Athlete", 2007 Men's Journal, Adventure Hall of Fame, 2007 Outside magazine, Ultimate Top 10 Outdoor Athletes, 2004 50 marathons in 50 states on 50 consecutive days In 2006, Karnazes embarked on the well-publicized Endurance 50: 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 consecutive days. Beginning with the Lewis and Clark Marathon in St. Louis on September 17, 2006, it finished with the New York City Marathon on November 5. Eight of the 50 races were conventional marathon races. Since marathon races are typically held only on weekends, on the other days Karnazes (accompanied by between one and 50 runners) ran the course of a marathon in each state using the help of the race director and staff of each event to officially run the certified course, but on a different day than the "live" event. (For example, as part of the 50/50/50, Karnazes ran the official course of the Boston Marathon, but not the race itself, which is held in mid-April.) Karnazes overcame the endurance and logistical difficulties of this goal and finished the final marathon, the NYC Marathon, on the official race day in 3 hours and 30 seconds. He weighed 154 pounds (70 kg) at the start and 153 pounds (69 kg) at the end. The adventure was the primary subject of film director JB Benna's 2008 film entitled UltraMarathon Man: 50 Marathons, 50 States, 50 Days, which was the first feature film about Karnazes. The film was produced by Journeyfilm and was released in theaters in 2008. A similar project, undertaken by Sam Thompson to raise money for victims of Hurricane Katrina, was finishing as Karnazes began his project. Thompson ran 51 marathons (all 50 states and D.C.) in 50 days. Criticism Karnazes' achievements have been derided among some runners as tainted with hyperbole and that his fame is primarily due to self-promotion in the media, rather than top athletic performances. The president of the American Ultrarunning Association noted that he was "not even in the top 10" of runners. Former elite runner Weldon Johnson said "Dean's biggest accomplishment is not in running, but in marketing." Ultra-marathoner John Morelock defended Karnazes, but also said that Karnazes was "very good, not great. He's not a racer, just a very good performer." Other businesses In 1995, Karnazes founded Energy Well Natural Foods in San .... Discover the Dean Karnazes popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Dean Karnazes books.