School Lesson Expands Beyond Classroom

Although tracking the Endurance 50 started as a geography lesson for Mrs. Heinemen's 4th grade class at Towle School, Newport it ended up encompassing geography, physical fitness, and learning the true meaning of endurance. The Endurance50 is 50 marathons, in 50 states, in 50 days, run by Dean Karnazes (pronounced Car-NASS-is), AKA, Ultramarathon Man.

Heinemen's class began following Karnazes in Endurance50 on September 17 when he ran in the Lewis and Clark Marathon. Each day the class reads Karanzes blogs. Students find the blogs personal and feel as if they know him. In addition, students and Mrs. Heinemen track the marathon on a large blue map of the US and marking completed by Karnazez with strips of construction paper.

On Wednesday October 18. Mrs. Heinemen's 4th grade class traveled to Hebron NH to cheer on Karnazes and five other runners during the marathon. They held up the banners they made as a homework assignment that gave the students definitions of endurance.
As Karnazes approached the group they cheered on his run, it was evident that he was at his 4.5% body fat perhaps less. The runner's muscles resembled, sculptured rocks. It is evident why he some refer to him as "The Man with the Granite Legs." The students were inspired and ran several laps around Hebron Common.

The class then had lunch and travel to Bristol NH to wait for Dean Karnazes to complete his marathon. After crossing the finish line, Karnazes met with the students and answered questions. One question was "Why do travel zigzag across the US?" Karnazes explained that towns and cities require permits for marathons and sometimes they cannot get dates when the states are close to each other, so they go to a different state. He also explained that marathons are 26.4 miles stating officials add the extra .4 to cover any miscalculations. Students received autographed placards with the number 32, since New Hampshire is the 32nd marathon completed. He thanked the students for their support, and encouraged them to be physically active.

While running, the Endurance50 Dean is supporting running clubs and runners across the nation and raising funds for KARNO KIDS. He hopes to make marathon running, the ultimate individual sport, a symbol of what people can achieve if they aspire to explore their personal limits.

Labeled "the fittest man in the world" by Men's Fitness, Dean's past feats include running 350 continuous miles, mountain biking for 24 hours straight, swimming across the San Francisco Bay, and running a marathon to the South Pole. He is also the author of the international bestseller, Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner (ISBN 1-58542-278-9).

Continuously ran 350 miles in 80 hours and 44 minutes
Swam across the San Francisco Bay
Ran the inaugural South Pole Marathon in running shoes
Mountain biked 24 straight hours
Completed the 100 mile Western States Endurance Run eleven times, all under 24 hours
Won the 2004 Badwater Ultramarathon
Ran the 199-mile Providian Satun Relay - six times
Designed a pair of lace less running shoes for North Face called the Arnuva 50 BOA.
Won the 2006 Vermont 100-mile Endurance Run

The North Face Endurance 50 is a celebration of endurance and the athletes who push preconceived notions of what is possible. The North Face and Dean have challenged Americans to achieve their personal best, whether running their first marathon or their 20th. Hundreds of runners from across the country and around the globe have signed up to run with Dean for the historic event. The grand finale for the Endurance 50 is the New York City Marathon on November 5th.

You can follow along on Dean's Marathon by going to http://enduranceis.typepad.com/

Dean completed the Chicago Marathon on Sunday, October 22nd.