42-year-old races twice, totalling more than 22 hours, in three-day span
Ultrarunner Michael Wardian, 42, raced in a 100-mile trail race on Friday and followed up that run with a sub-1:20 half-marathon on Sunday in San Diego.
Michael Wardian, a well-known American trail, ultra, and road racer, ran for almost 23 hours between the morning of June 3 and the morning of June 5, a 48-hour span. The 42-year-old ran the San Diego 100-Miler, which began at 6 a.m. local time on Friday, in 21:33:54 and then ran the Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego half-marathon on Sunday morning in 1:18:28.
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“That was crazy tough and still can’t believe [I] made it,” Wardian said via Instagram after the 100-miler but before he ran the Rock ‘n’ Roll half. “Thank you to the race officials and aid stations and volunteers, I would be on the side of the trail somewhere without them.”
He finished fourth overall, but was the first solo (runners without a crew) finisher, at the 100-mile (160K) race, which covered five major areas in San Diego. It’s run on trail. Note the condition of his feet in the below post-race photo.
Following his 100-miler, he only had about 25 hours of rest before the San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll half-marathon started at 6:15 a.m. local time on Sunday. Fortunately, he was already in the southern California city.
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“Heck yeah, negative split,” said Wardian, who finished 72nd at the Rock ‘n’ Roll half, after running the second of his two weekend races. “Legs warmed up, thank you all for the support.” Negative splitting a race is running the second half faster than the first, which he refers to by saying “legs warmed up.”
The Arlington, Va. resident is well-known for running lots of marathons in a short period. He won four of five marathons he raced over a 45-day span in 2006. He’s run 2:17:49 for the marathon and won U.S. ultrarunner of the year in 2008 and 2009.
Shalane Flanagan (1:07:51) and Amy Cragg (1:09:50) went 1-2 in the San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll women’s half-marathon on Sunday and are part of Team USA for the Rio Olympics in the marathon. Cragg won the U.S. Olympic Trials in February to qualify for the nation’s team heading to the Games, which begin in August.
Scott Smith won the men’s half-marathon in San Diego (1:02:34).
It’s safe to say Wardian deserves a rest after his incredible weekend of running though considering his knack for the sport, that may be unlikely.
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