Globetrotting runner Michael Wardian one race away from unique feat
Globetrotting marathoner and ultrarunner Michael Wardian ran 2:32 at the Chicago Marathon on Sunday and is one race away from history.
Mike Wardian is one race away from setting a new benchmark in the world of marathon running.
The American masters runner competed at the Chicago Marathon on Sunday and ran 2:32:02, two weeks after going sub-2:30 at the Berlin Marathon. Wardian is well-known for combination races where he races multiple events in a short-period of time. Earlier this year, for example, he ran a half-marathon the day after racing a 100-miler.
His goal is to race all six of the major marathons in a single calendar year. He also wants to run all of them very fast. The series is made up of some of the world’s top marathons and lots of planning went into the itinerary as each race has different registration deadlines and some, like Boston and London as well as Berlin and Chicago, are within weeks, if not days, of each other.
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The 42-year-old dad and international shipping broker’s schedule of races, according to his website, is quite busy to say the least.
Results from the world marathon majors
Tokyo: 2:28:14 (Feb. 28)
Boston: 2:31:39 (April 18)
London: 2:27:37 (April 24)
Berlin: 2:28:19 (Sept. 25)
Chicago: 2:32:02 (Oct. 9)
The sixth and final race of his world marathon majors globetrotting tour will come on Nov. 6 at the New York City Marathon. There, he will line up against some of the best in the world including Canadians Lanni Marchant and Rob Watson.
It’s believed that the current record for fastest average across the six races consecutively is 2:46. Also, a British runner averaged 3:06 by running all six in the same calendar year. Both marks are according to Competitor. Currently, through five events, Wardian is averaging approximately 2:30 per marathon with one race remaining on the world major calendar.
The fastest average time for all six of the major marathons for men is an incredibly fast 2:22:05.
RELATED: Run these six races to earn one of the most exclusive medals in running.
Wardian will cap off his six-race circuit – among other races he has run this year – in New York City in a race that features more than 50,000 participants each year.
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