Dean Karnazes grew up in Southern California during the height of the U.S. running boom. He ran just one season of high school cross country, in fall 1976, but he went on to become one of the world's most famous runners, writing a popular book about his incredible success over long distances. Karnazes once completed a 50-day, 50-state marathon streak. For some relay events designed for 6 to 12 runners per team, he runs the course solo.
In the book, Karnazes shared stories of coaches whose messages resonated with him. His high school cross country coach, Benner Cummings, was unconventional to say the least, but his approach helped set up Karnazes for success in ultra running. Also in this podcast discussion, Karnazes recalls the conflict he had with another coach, which led Karnazes to throw his running shoes in a tree and quit the school team. Come along for the run!
