*[Audio Content Available For Members Only. Click Here to Join Now]

Last year Runner’s World put out a challenge to run every day from Thanksgiving to New Year’s. I took them up on this challenge, and just like Forest Gump, I decided to keep running. Everyday for one year.

This streak required intentionality and creativity. I ran wherever I happened to be, on the deck of a ship, hotel treadmill, or a cliffside trail at Canyon Lands National Park.

I ran at 11:45 at night and 4:45 in the morning. Whatever it took to get my mile done. Trevor calculated that I ran in 18 states and one Canadian province.

All About Running Streaks

Doing a year long running streak really broadened my running experience and it didn’t get old like I thought it would. Some days were very challenging due to time constraints or when the weather proved to be dismal but I managed.

I also feel like it helped me build up endurance as I trained for my ultramarathons this year. But doing a mile the day after a 40 or 50 miler was pretty painful!

I finished my streak on Thanksgiving day and don’t plan on continuing my streak beyond the year point but I will probably do another streak at some point in my life.

We thought it would be fun to bring some other streakers on the show to get their perspective.

Streakers Interviewed on this Episode

Brian Beerman is an accountant from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He’s an avid runner who’s completed 39 marathons. He was inspired by our podcast to start a running streak in January and it’s gone great. He’s sure to practice good injury prevention and swears by the power of good nutrition.

Mark Washburne lives in New Jersey and is an Associate Professor of History and Political Science at County College of Morris. He has run at least three miles every day since 1989. He is the President of the United States Running Streak Association (USRSA), and Streak Runners International, which keeps track of other streak runners in the USA and around the world. Please visit their website at www.runeveryday.com and check out their Facebook group.

Judy Mick after completing 30 miles on her 30 year streak day.

Judy has run every day since November 20th 1985. She has written a few books on running that you can find on Amazon. One of the books, Spectacular Streakers, is a compilation of stories from a variety of streak runners.

She blogs at www.thestreakingrunner.com.

The Longest Running Streak in the World
“Dr. Ron Hill, 78, an entrepreneur from Hyde, England in the United Kingdom, has ended his five decades long running streak. ‘”It is (with) great sadness that I have to report the end of my streak,” said Dr. Hill in an statement to Streak Runners International (SRI). “I have been having heart problems and have been waiting for some time now to have the problem diagnosed and hopefully rectified. 1 Mile runs have not helped and on Saturday 28th January I ran my last 1 Mile. After less than 400 meters my heart started to hurt and over the last 800 meters the problem got worse and worse. I thought I might I die but just made it to 1 mile in 16 minutes and 34 seconds. There was no other option but to stop. I owed that to my wife family and friends plus myself.”‘

Started on 21 December 1964, Dr. Hill’s running streak lasted 19,032 days (52 years, 39 days) and was the longest running streak ever recorded in the world. Besides possessing the longest running streak in the world, Ron Hill is a three time Olympian. In the Tokyo Olympics of 1964, Dr. Hill placed 18th in the 10,000 meters, in a time of 29:53, and 19th in the marathon, in a time of 2:25:34. In the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, he placed 7th in the 10,000 meters and ironically ran the same time (29:53) as he had run four years earlier in Tokyo. Dr. Hill’s final Olympic games was in Munich in 1972, where he placed 6th in the marathon in a time of 2:16:30 at the age of 33.
 
During Ron Hill’s illustrious running career, he set world records for 10 miles (47:02, Leicester, England, April 1968; 46:44, Leicester, England, November 1968), 15 miles (72:48.2, Bolton, England, July 1965), 25 kilometers (75:22.6, Bolton, England, July 1965), and the 26.2 miles marathon (2:09:28, Edinburgh, Scotland, July 1970).
 
Ron Hill was also the second athlete to break 2:10 in the marathon. In 1970, Dr. Hill ran a personal best of 2:09:28 at the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, Scotland. Ron Hill also set a course record for the Boston Marathon. In 1970, he was the victor of the 74th edition of that race in a time of 2:10:30. His 1970 win eclipsed the old Boston Marathon course record set the year before by more than 3 minutes. Ron Hill also won gold medals for the marathon at the European Championships in Athens, Greece in 1969 and, as mentioned before, the Commonwealth Games in Scotland in 1970. During his lifetime, Dr. Hill finished 115 marathons, where he ran 112 of them in under 2:50, 103 in under 2:45, and 29 in under 2:20. His final marathon was the 100th running of the Boston Marathon in 1996, where he completed the historic course in a time of 3:12:46 at the age of 57.
 
Dr. Hill graduated with a Ph.D. in textile chemistry in 1964 from Manchester University. In 1970, he started Ron Hill Sports, “which pioneered various products including wrap-over shorts, mesh vests, waterproof running jackets and reflective strips.” He sold the company in the early 1990s and has since started Hilly Clothing specializing in technical socks and other apparel. Ron Hill was also President of the Road Runners Club from 1987 to 1988.” Update: 30, January 2017 from Mark Washburn at Streak Runners International.

Also Mentioned In This Episode

• My guidelines for safe streaking.
• The Runner’s Toolbox for preventing injury (free digital download).
• We got into the Berlin Marathon! See what other marathons we will be at in 2016.
• Train with the Academy to take your running to the next level in 2016!

I recently finished my first full marathon ever and I have officially become an addict. My finish time didn’t crack 4:00 but it gives me a perfect goal for next time. Thanks so much for all the advice and the great support of the MTA community that inspires me every day. -Sasha O.