Dean Karnazes


Dean Karnazes, is an American ultramarathon runner, and author of Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner, which details ultra endurance running for the general public.

Early life

Karnazes was born in Inglewood in Los Angeles County, California southwest of Los Angeles, to Nick and Fran Karnazes, parents of Greek ancestry. He had two siblings, brother Kraig and a sister, Pary, who died in an automobile accident at the age of 18.
His father worked as a field naturalist for the Orange County Department of Education in 2006. The younger Karnazes brother grew up in Diamond Bar, California and San Clemente, California. In 2006 he said that he remained close to the friends he made at San Clemente High School, which was also attended by both his siblings. Growing up in the city of San Clemente gave him a love of the outdoors, and an appreciation of its small-town feel. At the time his parents still lived in the house where he had grown up.

Pre-running career

While attending kindergarten, Karnazes began running home from school; he took up running for fun.
At first, Karnazes ran direct routes from school to his home. Later, he began to run diversionary routes that would extend his run and take him into uncharted territory. By third grade, he was participating in and organizing short running events with other children. As Karnazes grew older, he began testing his limits: by age eleven he had hiked rim-to-rim across the Grand Canyon and had climbed Mount Whitney, the highest mountain in the contiguous United States; for his 12th birthday, he cycled to his grandparents' home for fun without telling his parents.
In junior high school, Karnazes met Jack McTavish, a track coach who became Karnazes' mentor and introduced him to the appeal of long-distance running. McTavish's basic running instructions were simple: "Go out hard and finish harder." Using this motto as a basis, that season Karnazes won the California State Long-Distance Championship held on the Mt SAC track. At the end of the race, Coach McTavish commented: "Good work son, how'd it feel?" To this Karnazes replied: "Well, going out hard was the right thing to do. It felt pretty good." The coach replied: "If it felt good, you didn't push hard enough. It's supposed to hurt like hell." A week after the race, Karnazes' father's job was transferred to San Clemente. These were the last comments the coach ever said to Karnazes, who has stated that he lives by these words to this day.
In 1976, as a high school freshman at San Clemente High, Karnazes joined the cross country team under Benner Cummings. Cummings' running theory was that running is about finding your inner peace; his motto was "run with your heart". That season, Karnazes was awarded "Most Inspirational" team member. Karnazes also ran his first endurance event that year, a fundraising run on a track for underprivileged children, finishing in just under six hours and raising a dollar a lap from his sponsors. While most students ran only 10–15 laps around the track, he ran 105, a full marathon.
Karnazes was not compatible with his high-school track coach, and stopped running for fifteen years.

Racing highlights and criticisms

Karnazes has completed a number of endurance events, mostly running events, but also a swimming event. Most notable achievements include:
Other athletic achievements include:
Other honors include:
In 2006, Karnazes embarked on the well-publicized Endurance 50: 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 consecutive days. Beginning with the Lewis and Clark Marathon in St. Louis on September 17, 2006, it finished with the New York City Marathon on November 5. Eight of the 50 races were conventional marathon races. Since marathon races are typically held only on weekends, on the other days Karnazes ran the course of a marathon in each state using the help of the race director and staff of each event to officially run the certified course, but on a different day than the "live" event.
Karnazes overcame the endurance and logistical difficulties of this goal and finished the final marathon, the NYC Marathon, on the official race day in 3 hours and 30 seconds. He weighed at the start and at the end.
The adventure was the primary subject of film director JB Benna's 2008 film entitled UltraMarathon Man: 50 Marathons, 50 States, 50 Days, which was the first feature film about Karnazes. The film was produced by Journeyfilm and was released in theaters in 2008.
A similar project, undertaken by Sam Thompson to raise money for victims of Hurricane Katrina, was finishing as Karnazes began his project. Thompson ran 51 marathons in 50 days.

Critical responses

Karnazes' achievements have been derided on some running websites as tainted with hyperbole. Former elite athlete Weldon Johnson said that the criticism is partly due to Karnazes' ability to attract sponsors and gain attention for feats that may be less spectacular than they appear.
Ultra-marathoner John Morelock defended Karnazes, but also said that Karnazes was "very good, not great. He's not a racer, just a very good performer." He believed that the criticism is sparked by unfamiliarity with ultra-running, and underestimation of the mental and physical endurance required.

Other businesses

In 1995, Karnazes founded Energy Well Natural Foods in San Francisco and he remains president of the company, now called Good Health Natural Foods. Karnazes is also a regular columnist for Men's Health.
In 2011, Karnazes opened a Frozen-Yogurt shop in San Anselmo, California called U-Top It.

Media appearances

According to his sponsor, Karnazes has been featured on The Today Show, 60 Minutes, The Late Show with David Letterman, CBS News, CNN, ESPN, The Howard Stern Show, NPR's Morning Edition, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and the BBC. He has also appeared on the cover of Runners' World, Outside, and Wired magazines, and has been featured in TIME, Newsweek, People, GQ, The New York Times, USA TODAY, and The Washington Post, among others. Karnazes won Competitor magazine's "Endurance Athlete of the Year" award three times, and also earned ESPN's ESPY award.
The "Ultra Marathon Man" episode of Stan Lee's Superhumans documentary television series maintained that Karnazes is able to reduce the build-up of lactic acid over long periods of time. Karnazes also ascribes his endurance feats to an ability to remain under his lactate threshold – his body's ability to clear lactate from his blood and convert it to energy.

Personal life

In his memoir, Karnazes explains he was twice expelled for attending school while drunk. Karnazes stated that he quit drinking while at Cal Poly, after the death of his sister.
Karnazes attended California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo, where his major subject was food science technology. He attended graduate school at the same institution, ending up as the class valedictorian. He paid for his education by obtaining scholarships and grants, and by working at a campus health center. Karnazes then went to the University of San Francisco's McLaren School of Business. He holds graduate degrees in Science and Business.
Karnazes met his wife Julie in 9th grade at San Clemente High School. Karnazes' children accompanied their father for much of his run of 50 marathons in 50 states, as they were home-schooled at the time.
In 2004, Karnazes was named one of GQ's "Best Bodies of the Year".
Karnazes lives in Ross, California.

Books