Runner born without full limbs completes sixth marathon in Iceland

What a day in #Reykjavik. I started off the morning having a chat with the #President of #Iceland, Guðni Thorlacius Jóhannesson.
I finished the @ReykjavikMarath, my 6th, in 4hrs34min.
Not my best time but the course was absolutely #beautiful. #ifican#marathon @CanadianRunning pic.twitter.com/EsHp9SBsa6

— Chris Koch (@IfICan79) August 19, 2018

Chris Koch, who was born without fully developed limbs, completed his sixth marathon this weekend in Iceland, finishing in 4:34:36. Koch completed the marathon in a team Canada hockey t-shirt. 

Despite what would seem an obvious limitation, Koch originally from Nanton, Alta., has been an active farmer for his entire life. Koch, and his initiative If I Can, has been seen on the Oprah Network, Talks at Google and TedX.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bml_RLuH8Lj/?hl=en&taken-by=ifican.chriskoch

He travels frequently to do motivational speaking and more recently, for several years has taken to the streets with a longboard to participate in a number of running events.

Koch said on Twitter that, “I started off the morning having a chat with the President of Iceland.” He then went on to complete the marathon in, “not [his] best time but the course was absolutely stunning.”

Koch wears a custom-made moccasin, with a sole similar to a rubber Vibram, on his right leg to act as an intervening layer between him and the asphalt. He says his training is similar to most other runners’ in that he’s built up to race day averaging up to 120K per week, and will cut back mileage considerably leading up to the race. 

Koch’s first marathon was the 2016 Calgary Marathon, which he completed in 4:28. He went back to Calgary this spring for the 2018 event and finished in 4:02:08. He said on Instagram that his current goal is to go sub-4 for the 42.2 kilometres.

Koch insists that his independence is “almost endless, because of [his] parents approach.” They reportedly treated him like any other kid. 

The next guaranteed race he will be doing is the Modesto, California marathon in March. He likes to keep his schedule open in case speaking engagements pop up. Koch says, “It’s a really cool opportunity to do different marathons around the world, I love travelling. I’m now getting invited to marathons and being asked to speak at expos which is really cool.”

For Koch, a week of training is heavily dependent upon if he’s on the road, “It varies depending on where I’m at. I grew up on the farm, I still help out on the farm. If I’m on the road in a hotel, I’ll go into the stairwell and go up and down the stairs. I find the stairs are better preparation for the strength and endurance of a marathon. I feel that the more stairs I do, the better I am when it comes time for a marathon.”