100 Marathons in 100 days

[neilmac]

Well done to Mike Buss an Ex Army PTI, thats a few miles!!
Ex-soldier smashes marathons record - AOL News (http://news.aol.co.uk/main-news/story/ex-soldier-smashes-marathons-record/1290392)

[BEagle]

What is so special about that?
Are you f*****g serious?

Mike Buss, who hopes to raise £100,000 for Help for Heroes during 2010, completed the gruelling challenge after notching up more than 2,600 miles on treadmills at various locations around England since mid-June.
I would say that's VERY special indeed. Well done, Mike!

[If all else fails]

Good show Mike, hat's off!

[FFP]

Ha ! Said from the comfort of an internet post......!

I suspect your fishing, which I why I'm writing this with a smile on my face at your "seriousness"..:ok:

But seeing as you used his name, let talk about Karnazes. I've met him twice now (he's smaller in real life than the front cover of Ultramarathon man would have you believe) and he's an absolute gent, with incredible endurance and complete humility that he's someone that "loves life and loves to run". He has the time of day for anyone.

And I can tell you he'd take his hat off to this event and Mike (who I'd never heard of before today) , both for it's impressive nature and support of a worthy cause. I've seen him stay after a race and clap in those finishers behind him with genuine admiration. Not a fake bone in his body I'm convinced and certainly no ego about what other's do in relation to his events.

Good thing about democracy is that your entitled to your opinion, but unless you'd like to tell us how easy such a feat of endurance was based on the last time you did it, your opinion on this doesn't count for sh!t.

But thanks for letting us know you think it's not that special ;) I'm sure Mike's drying his eyes as we speak....

[ospreydriver]

I think doing it on a treadmill would be HARDER than outside!

3 miles on a treadmill has me questioning my sanity. 26.2 miles would put me in the rubber room.

Give me some scenery, even if rain or heat comes with it.

[Thunderpants]

Inside or outside.....it's still shaggin' impresive. Good for you Mike:D.

[Wensleydale]

I started a marathon on a running machine once... but I choked on a peanut and had to give up.

[barnstormer1968]

Ospraydriver is right IMHO.

Running long distance on a treadmill can be harder, as you tend to recirculate your carbon dioxide to a high extent, which does not happen outdoors. Also there is no variation in scenery, which takes away the 'real' feeling of distance run, and can lead to boredom. Any marathon/long distance runners on here, may have had the experience of running outdoor in a very large crowd, and noticed the lack of oxygen in the air, as it has been taken by the runners in front (even running at the extreme sides of the mass crowd helps a bit).

On the other hand, by running on different treadmills, he was going to various locations, and his distance could be recorded much more cheaply that if he had been outside, where he would have needed to be accurately verified to have done the distance at each venue. This may have severely eaten into the amount of money he could raise!

Well done that man I say, and if you feel his effort was a bit naff, by 'simply' running a marathon every day for 100 days (for someone elses benefit), I am left wondering what it says about your own personality!

[Gainesy]

He's a PTI. No mirrors outside.:)

[cornish-stormrider]

or fat waafs to look on and drool....

Still top effort to pongo. I had to have a little lie down after only thinking about it.

[Gainesy]

fat waafs to look on and drool:uhoh:

You're very worrying you know.

[SilsoeSid]

An outstanding achievement that doesn't deserve some of the comments being made here. Well done Mike :D


IMHO;
Running on a treadmill is totally different to road running. This is mainly because with the treadmill the belt is driven, so really all you are doing is keeping up with the belts pace and not driving the belt or propelling your body forward as you would on the road. Also on a treadmill, it is easier to get into the rhythm of your chosen pace, maybe a minute or two. On the road however this can take, for some, 2-5 miles.

On the road you are constantly adjusting to a never level surface, uphill/downhill when it decides not you, and the other factors such as dealing with the weather, traffic, kerbs, carrying fluids/gels,... so maintaining a rhythm, unless on a closed course is a hard thing to achieve. A luxury you can achieve every time on a treadmill without the slightest threat of having to run long distances with wet feet.

Having watched the whole 3 episodes of Eddie Izzards Marathon Man feat on Wednesday afternoon, I cannot see how anyone can say that running on a treadmill is harder let alone comparable to running on the road.


ozAig6hWgUs


The 'running on a treadmill is harder' statement is the same one that keeps these expensive gyms going. Little or no air conditioning, no fans, water that is in fountains 'along the corridor' and lots of MTV, along with this apparently re-circulating CO2, gives members the impression that if they sweat more they are doing well. After all, when they get home they've lost maybe a kilo or two. Quelle suprise, that's called dehydration... which is bad.

Easily remedied though as you would for an endurance event with organised facilities such as fans, air con and fluids/gels to hand. But the punter at the gym might then start wondering why they don't feel as if they've worked hard enough and decide not to renew their membership!


I totally agree with barnstormer when he says;
'Well done that man I say, and if you feel his effort was a bit naff, by 'simply' running a marathon every day for 100 days (for someone elses benefit), I am left wondering what it says about your own personality!'

As it must be seen as the achievement that it is, and seen in it's own light.
:D


Just to remind you,

Eddie, a comedian, had only 5 weeks training and no significant prior history of running, he completed seven weeks of back-to-back marathon runs (with Sundays off) and he ran 43 marathons in 51 days, having run at least 27 miles each day, 6 days a week for 7 weeks straight, covering more than 1,100 miles across the UK.

Mike, former Army physical training instructor ran 100 marathons on consecutive days he completed the gruelling challenge after notching up more than 2,600 miles on treadmills at various locations around England since mid-June.

[Jayand]

This isn't a pissing competition, both have done fantastically well and should be applauded for their efforts and fundraising, Eddies I would say was harder as treadmill running is physically much easier but the mental aspect of running for hours everyday on a treadmill should not be taken lightly.

[barnstormer1968]

I agree with Jayand, but also have not made light of anyone elses efforts either.

I feel that running longer distances on a treadmill is mentally tougher than running outdoors, whereas running outdoors is more physical.

One thing that does make me laugh though, the gym types who drive to the gym so they can then run on a treadmill. I do have a friend who drives 1.5 miles to the gym (3 miles round trip) so he can do a three mile treadmill run once he gets there!

Running outdoors can be very interesting, especially if running through nice countryside, although the view in the gym can be pretty interesting too:E

While I am drifting off thread, I may as well relate a recent treadmill incident to you.

I took a break in the afternoon from work, and popped into the local cake shop to load up on cream slices etc. All was going well and my hunger was growing, but just as I got back to my car I received a call on my mobile from my partner who had popped into the gym across the road. She had seen me getting my goodies while she was jogging on the treadmill (and looking out the window).
Getting caught taking a break is OK, but sneaking off for extra cakes got me into a lot of trouble!

[SilsoeSid]

Sorry, I don't agree with you when you say that it is mentally tougher to run distance on a treadmill than it is on the road.

[Henry09]

This is all quite funny. The guy has done 2400 miles and there are couch potatoes on here complaining that it's not really that tough. OMG, what are you like?

Well done chap, splendid effort and thank you for all the money you raised! (see not that difficult to say is it!)

[SilsoeSid]

The guy has done 2400 miles and there are couch potatoes on here complaining that it's not really that tough.

Even tougher than that Henry, he did 100 marathons not 91.6
:8

[Henry09]

Exactly, so almost 10 Marathons more, and the couch potatoes are still moaning :)

[SilsoeSid]

Exactly, so almost 10 Marathons more, and the couch potatoes are still moaning :)


Well Henry, that one went right over my head.
Your incorrect mileage makes the feat even better than it already is?

:confused:

[Dan Winterland]

A hundred Marathons in a hundred days. No Problems! But aren't they called Snickers these days?

[rock34]

Still not beaten Forrest Gumps record! :E

[barnstormer1968]

rock

Forrest Gump can easily outdo all of the above......

Who else can be running with no coat on, and then suddenly have one without stopping to buy one (or having carried one)?

And then do it repeatedly over several scenes.:}

[Occasional Aviator]

My experience of choosing marathons to enter is that there aren't actually events taking place every day for 100 days. it may just be that this was the most practical way to run them.

Perhaps it's not as difficult running them in the gym than running them outside - but then, if he'd climbed K2, would people be saying "well, he didn't do Everest!"?

Hats off to someone who's willing to do this and raise money for charity.

[Herod]

I've entered the ballot for next year's London Marathon, which will be my first. For anyone who's not tried it, the training alone is bl**dy hard work. It doesn't matter whether it was on the road or in the gym, hats off to both of them for one hell of an achievement.

[SilsoeSid]

As a Couch Potato, one that has just come back from a Marathon somewhere in Continental Europe, I would like to add that there is a huge difference between a marathon on a treadmill and a marathon on a road.

No crowds to join getting to the event, no queues for the toilets, no needing to go again and going in bushes, no huddled like cattle in the rain 30 minutes before start time before having to wait a further 20 minute after the elite's set off before you cross the start line yourself.
No need to worry if you are carrying enough gels or isotonic drink as someone could pop off and get you some.
No dodging between people that are setting up their iPods, chatting or insisting in staying with their group of 4 or more spread across the road.
No bottlenecks where the crowds want to get better views by going onto the course, or at water stations where walking is considered the norm by the group runners having a little chat.
No roadways littered by plastic cups, gel wrappers, discarded fruit and bottles. No cambers in the road to unsettle the balance or puddles of water too deep to simply splash through, not too mention the constant wet feet topped up by the splashes from your fellow runner.
No cold and wet conditions before, during and after the event and the prospect of not seeing your own supporters during the event, friends/family that you know will be waiting in the rain to see you, and will still be waiting as you possibly pass by unnoticed.

However the feeling of completion would be the same, road or treadmill.
The sense of achievement, the support of friends and family the tales of woe. Only the runners themselves know what they had been through and how they felt passing the finish line or when the display finally reads 26m 385y/42.195 km.
Only one of them however, can truly say they are a marathon 'runner'.


This couch potato is now readying for this weekends triathlon and then for a half marathon next month. Sometimes us couch potatoes are allowed to have an opinion and mine echoes those from the earlier posts.
;)

[Airborne Aircrew]

I live in "sunny" Michigan where we have periods of 2 months or more where running outside is not feasible due to extreme cold so I bought a treadmill for those periods. I run 3-4 times a week and I run 4-5 miles per outing, (or "inning" I suppose :} ). The region I live in is pretty much absolutely flat with probably no more that 40' of total climb over a 4 mile run. I have done this for the last five years so I have some perspective with regard to "ease" of running both outdoors and indoors.

I have never experienced any issues during the transition from outdoors to treadmill but the transition from treadmill to outdoors is most painful if one tries to match the pace outdoors that you have been running on the treadmill right off the bat. Specifically the front of the thighs will be like rocks the morning after the first run or three. Extremely painful.

Also, if I run four miles on a level treadmill at the same pace as I have been running outdoors my weight will start to creep upwards. If I begin to add in some, (not insignificant), incline I can bring my weight back to equilibrium thus indicating that the work done on the treadmill is slightly less than on the road.

The point about "only keeping up with the belt" is, (in my opinion), the reason for both of the above.