By Adam Kimble
While marathoners and triathletes are standout athletes and people with incredible endurance and determination, ultrarunners are another breed altogether. Many compete in MULTI-DAY events, running 100 or more miles in ONE race.
Ever heard of Adam Kimble? The Chicago-area based, 29 year old finished his run across the United States on April 14 – nearly 2,500 miles in just 60 days. While this was 14 days short of the 36-year-old record he was attempting to break, his feat and completion – particularly considering the injuries he suffered just a few days into the run AND his limited years at ultra running – was no less amazing.
Also, keep in mind: no one has broken the 46-day record for running across the U.S. that shoe salesman Frank Giannino Jr. set on October 17, 1980. The most recent attempt was by 55-year-old, renowned ultrarunner and mother, Lisa Smith-Batchen. (Her amazing effort unfortunately ended May 3, one week into her run, when she required emergency gallbladder surgery).
Cercacor had the great fortune of reading about Adam in Runner’s World just two days before he and his team set out to drive across the U.S. to Huntington Beach, California – where Adam took the first step of his journey. We reached out to him within an hour of finishing reading the article. He quickly (and fortunately) immediately responded.
After speaking for 20 minutes, it was clear we both shared and valued teamwork, love of data, and the belief that inspiration and determination are more powerful than most obstacles. After explaining how Ember works, Adam was very intrigued and wanted to use it during his run. Considering the expense and non-commercial nature of his (seven-person team’s) herculean effort, we volunteered to sponsor him. We both learned great things about how a person’s hemoglobin responds when the body endures the kind of “punishment” Adam’s did for 60 days, running an average of 45 miles a day.
Running the Numbers:
60 Days the journey took.
45 Average miles run per day. (That’s almost two marathons).
13 Average hours run each day.
4 Average hours of sleep per night.
5 Total days of rest.
76.3 Most miles run in a single day. (Just shy of three marathons).
2,484 Total miles run, coast to coast.
4/14/16 11:50 a.m., when Adam took his last step – into the Atlantic Ocean on Tybee Island, Georgia.
6,400 Average number of calories Adam consumed each day.
220 Average ounces of water and liquid nutrition Adam drank each day. (Nearly 28, 8-oz glasses!)
17,000+ People following Adam’s journey on social media (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter).
5 Number of pairs of shoes Adam wore out.
More to Come!
In the following days, we'll publish the other three sections of Adam's story:
- A revealing Q&A with Adam,
- Adam's team who joined him on the road (via cars and campers) to make it all possible, and
- Key findings gained through Adam using Ember.
