SUPERHEROES LIVE AMONG US, particularly in the running community. They aren’t usually noticed because they don’t get (or seek) a lot of publicity. The challenges they undertake are generally personal, and it’s easy to mistake them for ordinary mortals.

When I’d planned my 2012 year-long celebration of turning 50, with its associated events and challenges, I’d assumed (rather naively) that it was, if not unique, at least uncommon. But when I talk to fellow runners, amazing stories pop up everywhere.

For example, here are two people I met at recent races who have either completed, or in the middle of, some pretty awesome stuff.

Sharry

Shamrock ‘n’ Roll 10K, March 17

I happened across “Irish Wonder Woman” after the race and just had to know what motivated her to run on a cold morning in this costume. “I’m turning 40 this year,” she said, “and I’m going to run 40 races to celebrate.” The Shamrock ‘n’ Roll 10K was race number eight since January 1.

Running three or four races per month is far from easy. In addition to the expense (entry fees range from $25 to over $100, plus travel), she’ll have to avoid serious injury and maintain the mental focus to run her best throughout the year. (The 20 races I ran last year were quite enough for me.)

Looks like we will meet again at the Martian Invasion of Races in April (me, half marathon, her, 10K) and Dexter-Ann Arbor in June. Her races range from 5K to half marathons, and at least one virtual race, something I will write about in more detail shortly.

To find out more about her, see her blog, “Sharry Runs 40 in 2013“. (Anyone who gives me a nice shout-out in her blog sure gets a plug from me!)

Ron

No Frills All Thrills 8K Trail Race, March 23

Say it’s your 50th birthday and you want to run an ultramarathon to celebrate, but there aren’t any nearby races that day. What to do? Create your own race, of course. That’s what this guy did, setting up and completing a 50-mile run on the Island Lake trails. He had a support vehicle and several friends ran part of the route with him, but otherwise did it by himself, with no water stops or spectators. Not even a fancy finisher’s medal.

So how did it go?

“Well,” he said, “At mile seven I got run over by some mountain bikers.”

Literally. They came around a corner and knocked him flat. “But I was unhurt, so I carried on.” Then around mile 18 his IT band flared up – bad enough that, “I wouldn’t normally have run on it.” But that day, “I swallowed a few ibuprofen, put some KT tape on my leg, and a few miles later, it was fine.” Other than that, it was uneventful.

Oh, and he biked over 2,500 miles last year, and ran for about 1,500. How I managed to finish ahead of him in the trail run I’m not really sure. But he says he’s going to come after me next year. Bring it on!