VIDEO: Michael Wardian set for Boston two weeks after the Barkley Marathons
Not surprisingly, frequent racer Michael Wardian is back after two weeks of recovery from the Barkley Marathons and is set to run Boston on Monday.
Michael Wardian is back racing two weeks after attempting one of the world’s toughest ultramarathons.
The 43-year-old Arlington, Va. resident will run the 2017 Boston Marathon on Monday 16 days after beginning the Barkley Marathons in eastern Tennessee. Boston will be just over three weeks from Wardian’s last marathon, which came indoors at the Armory in New York City.
At the Barkley Marathons the first weekend of April, Wardian was unable to finish the first of five laps of the race that’s estimated to be upwards of 120 miles (193K). He did collect all book pages before completing the necessary distance but not within the allotted time.
Canadian Running caught up with Wardian on Saturday afternoon adjacent to the Boston Marathon finish line. The frequent racer, who runs for Hoka One One, competed in all six big-city World Marathon Majors – Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York City – in 2016, setting a new record for lowest cumulative time (2:31:09).
This past winter, Wardian set a new world record at the World Marathon Challenge. He averaged 2:45 for seven marathons on seven continents in seven days. Wardian has a lifetime best of 2:17:49 in the marathon though that was set back in 2011.
As Wardian alludes to, he ran the Boston Athletic Association 5K on Saturday morning wearing an Elvis Presley outfit while blindfolded. He also talks about following the Barkley after he was forced to drop out of the race and he gives a shoutout to near-finisher and Canadian Gary Robbins. Saturday’s 5K, in addition to raising awareness for the blind, was a way to “shake off some of the Barkley rust.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BS6cZqxjCgJ/?taken-by=mikewardian
This Monday’s race will be particularly special for Wardian as it marks the 20th anniversary of his Boston Marathon debut.
Useful Canadian Running content for running the 2017 Boston Marathon
– Complete 2017 Boston Marathon coverage
– Course preview, race-specific tips and suggestions
– Boston Marathon jackets through the years
– A beginner’s guide to America’s greatest race
– Pre-race workout with Rejean Chiasson
– The excitement behind running Boston for the very first time
– Eric Gillis out of the 2017 Boston Marathon
– Boston Marathon shoes
– Pre-race interview with Rachel Hannah
How to follow Canadian Running at the 2017 Boston Marathon
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