4 ms·

How many hours was he running everyday? This is an insane amount of running. I wonder if there is any health implications?

afthonos 2y ago
He ran an average of 15 miles a day. That is absolutely within the normal levels of human endurance if you build up to it.
- thehappypm 2y ago
  I think that’s about the average of what a typical Appalachian Trail hiker does, which means that it is very well within the bounds of reality for a regularly able and very motivated person
- aprilthird2021 2y ago
  Looking at his Strava he seems to be doing more like 20-30+ miles a day
ordersofmag 2y ago
7700/516 = just under 15 miles a day or around 100 miles per week. Typical mileage for any elite distance runner or even a decent D1 college runner (and low for an elite marathoner). But they often do it in one or two continuous sessions, often with significant intensity. The task of just covering the mileage in a day (without trying to do it in one go or trying do any of it fast) is nothing particularly exceptional. Heck as a slow 50-something dude I did 100 miles weeks during Covid when I had some free time. Health effects: assuming you were biomechanically inclined to do okay with lots of running and built up to it over a long enough time to avoid the usual overuse injuries it would almost certainly just make you healthier.
- carabiner 2y ago
  PCT thru hikers do about 18 miles per day over mountainous terrain with a 25 lb pack. They're moving at a slower walking speed though.
- lemontrees 2y ago
  [flagged]
- parthdesai 2y ago
  Only on HN you'll see a comment like this downplaying the achievement. With Endurance sport, it's the lack of rest days that make it exponentially harder, you really can't compare with what you've.
  - RandallBrown 2y ago
    15 miles a day is pretty tame for any long distance runner. Even without rest days. You're going to be doing 15 miles in ~3 hours. That's plenty of rest time. I suspect this guy was actually running significantly more every day but also took some significant time off. Russ Cook, who also ran the length of Africa, ran a route that was 2000 miles longer, in about 5 less months. He covered on average about 28 miles per day. They're both very impressive accomplishments, but not as physically impressive as mentally, at least in my opinion.
    - parthdesai 2y ago
      15 miles a day every day for about 1.75 years. Funny, you bring us Russ Cook, his body was literally breaking down. Again, 15 miles on average is tame for a long distance runner. It's starts to become exponentially harder when there are no rest days involved. Both of the achievements are nothing to scoff at.
    - throwaway2037 2y ago
      28 miles per day? That is 45 km. How is that possible? What would your feet look like? When I read about people who did immensely long walks, it is always your feet that give out.
    - sangnoir 2y ago
      > 15 miles a day is pretty tame for any long distance runner. His Strava log clocks him at double that (34+ miles per day) over the last couple of days. So I'd say the average is not representative of his normal, on-the-road pace - which makes sense because he was detained for 3 weeks, visited extended family for part of the 517 days in addition to whatever breaks he took.
  - 2y ago
- aurareturn 2y ago
  >7700/516 = just under 15 miles a day or around 100 miles per week. Does your calculation factor in the lost time when he had to stop due to immigration, war zones, being jailed for weeks? IE. When he does run, he could be running 25 miles/day but on some days, he runs 0.
dyauspitr 2y ago
You can walk 3 miles an hour at a leisurely pace. That’s a 5 hour walk everyday or probably like a 3-4 hour run. Really not all that bad if you’re used to it.
andrewstuart 2y ago
Extreme exercise such as distance running damages the heart. https://youtu.be/Y6U728AZnV0 https://youtu.be/Y6U728AZnV0
- scott_w 2y ago
  This is simply not true. Even research that suggests damage also suggests endurance athletes have better outcomes anyway: https://www.heart.org/en/news/2019/03/01/is-long-distance-running-good-for-the-heart https://www.heart.org/en/news/2019/03/01/is-long-distance-ru...
  - gregwebs 2y ago
    The article you linked doesn’t support the statement made about it. The evidence is mixed but shows worse overall outcomes for those overdoing it. Here’s a scientific publication that’s clearer that recommends 1-2 days off per week, and no more than 5 hours running per week. https://journals.lww.com/acsm-csmr/fulltext/2015/03000/exercise_and_the_heart___the_harm_of_too_little.12.aspx https://journals.lww.com/acsm-csmr/fulltext/2015/03000/exerc...
    - scott_w 2y ago
      Quote from the article: > Recent research has raised alarms about the potential for plaque buildup and scarring in the heart in some long-distance runners. Yet other studies have suggested that when marathoners get heart disease, they may be able to weather it better than non-runners. All articles discuss scarring and physical signs but no clear link between exercise and worse life outcomes. The article you cited noted most issues resolve themselves within a few weeks after a race. There are literally 0 people exercising at “race intensity” day after day, which is completely different kettle of fish to your regular training run. Kato here certainly isn’t doing that. Given many professionals and amateurs run over 5 hours per week and easily break 5/6 miles at a time. A quick search will show strong runners regularly hit 6-8 hours per week. Cyclists will cover greater distances and times and, apart from Pantani (who was doped to the gills), you don’t see them dropping dead of heart attacks despite regularly covering 10-20 hours a week. Similar for triathletes. So no, the evidence really isn’t there that distance running causes heart disease.
pineaux 2y ago
For all the people reacting that this is not a lot. Don't forget he has had a lot of border troubles, police troubles, money troubles and support troubles. Including rest days, I would estimate his running days at somewhere around the 400. That would mean about 20 miles per running day. So 6 miles short of a marathon, each day.
dudeinjapan 2y ago
When he got tired, he slept. When he got hungry, he ate. When he had to go... he went.
bevan 2y ago
It is insane in today's world! But big mileage (barefoot, no less) is something we evolved for. Check out the great book Born to Run by Chris Macdougal which explores that concept.
- gregwebs 2y ago
  Micah True, a hero of Born to Run, died after the book was published at age 58 of heart failure while doing a 12 mile training run.
  - bevan 2y ago
    Yes, that's explored in the sequel. He lives on in Urique, Mexico where his likeness is plastered everywhere and is the namesake for the big annual race in that town.

afthonos 2y ago

He ran an average of 15 miles a day. That is absolutely within the normal levels of human endurance if you build up to it.

thehappypm 2y ago
I think that’s about the average of what a typical Appalachian Trail hiker does, which means that it is very well within the bounds of reality for a regularly able and very motivated person
aprilthird2021 2y ago
Looking at his Strava he seems to be doing more like 20-30+ miles a day

ordersofmag 2y ago

7700/516 = just under 15 miles a day or around 100 miles per week. Typical mileage for any elite distance runner or even a decent D1 college runner (and low for an elite marathoner). But they often do it in one or two continuous sessions, often with significant intensity. The task of just covering the mileage in a day (without trying to do it in one go or trying do any of it fast) is nothing particularly exceptional. Heck as a slow 50-something dude I did 100 miles weeks during Covid when I had some free time. Health effects: assuming you were biomechanically inclined to do okay with lots of running and built up to it over a long enough time to avoid the usual overuse injuries it would almost certainly just make you healthier.

carabiner 2y ago
PCT thru hikers do about 18 miles per day over mountainous terrain with a 25 lb pack. They're moving at a slower walking speed though.
lemontrees 2y ago
[flagged]
parthdesai 2y ago
Only on HN you'll see a comment like this downplaying the achievement. With Endurance sport, it's the lack of rest days that make it exponentially harder, you really can't compare with what you've.
- RandallBrown 2y ago
  15 miles a day is pretty tame for any long distance runner. Even without rest days. You're going to be doing 15 miles in ~3 hours. That's plenty of rest time. I suspect this guy was actually running significantly more every day but also took some significant time off. Russ Cook, who also ran the length of Africa, ran a route that was 2000 miles longer, in about 5 less months. He covered on average about 28 miles per day. They're both very impressive accomplishments, but not as physically impressive as mentally, at least in my opinion.
  - parthdesai 2y ago
    15 miles a day every day for about 1.75 years. Funny, you bring us Russ Cook, his body was literally breaking down. Again, 15 miles on average is tame for a long distance runner. It's starts to become exponentially harder when there are no rest days involved. Both of the achievements are nothing to scoff at.
  - throwaway2037 2y ago
    28 miles per day? That is 45 km. How is that possible? What would your feet look like? When I read about people who did immensely long walks, it is always your feet that give out.
  - sangnoir 2y ago
    > 15 miles a day is pretty tame for any long distance runner. His Strava log clocks him at double that (34+ miles per day) over the last couple of days. So I'd say the average is not representative of his normal, on-the-road pace - which makes sense because he was detained for 3 weeks, visited extended family for part of the 517 days in addition to whatever breaks he took.
- 2y ago
aurareturn 2y ago
>7700/516 = just under 15 miles a day or around 100 miles per week. Does your calculation factor in the lost time when he had to stop due to immigration, war zones, being jailed for weeks? IE. When he does run, he could be running 25 miles/day but on some days, he runs 0.

dyauspitr 2y ago

You can walk 3 miles an hour at a leisurely pace. That’s a 5 hour walk everyday or probably like a 3-4 hour run. Really not all that bad if you’re used to it.

andrewstuart 2y ago

Extreme exercise such as distance running damages the heart. https://youtu.be/Y6U728AZnV0 https://youtu.be/Y6U728AZnV0

scott_w 2y ago
This is simply not true. Even research that suggests damage also suggests endurance athletes have better outcomes anyway: https://www.heart.org/en/news/2019/03/01/is-long-distance-running-good-for-the-heart https://www.heart.org/en/news/2019/03/01/is-long-distance-ru...
- gregwebs 2y ago
  The article you linked doesn’t support the statement made about it. The evidence is mixed but shows worse overall outcomes for those overdoing it. Here’s a scientific publication that’s clearer that recommends 1-2 days off per week, and no more than 5 hours running per week. https://journals.lww.com/acsm-csmr/fulltext/2015/03000/exercise_and_the_heart___the_harm_of_too_little.12.aspx https://journals.lww.com/acsm-csmr/fulltext/2015/03000/exerc...
  - scott_w 2y ago
    Quote from the article: > Recent research has raised alarms about the potential for plaque buildup and scarring in the heart in some long-distance runners. Yet other studies have suggested that when marathoners get heart disease, they may be able to weather it better than non-runners. All articles discuss scarring and physical signs but no clear link between exercise and worse life outcomes. The article you cited noted most issues resolve themselves within a few weeks after a race. There are literally 0 people exercising at “race intensity” day after day, which is completely different kettle of fish to your regular training run. Kato here certainly isn’t doing that. Given many professionals and amateurs run over 5 hours per week and easily break 5/6 miles at a time. A quick search will show strong runners regularly hit 6-8 hours per week. Cyclists will cover greater distances and times and, apart from Pantani (who was doped to the gills), you don’t see them dropping dead of heart attacks despite regularly covering 10-20 hours a week. Similar for triathletes. So no, the evidence really isn’t there that distance running causes heart disease.

pineaux 2y ago

For all the people reacting that this is not a lot. Don't forget he has had a lot of border troubles, police troubles, money troubles and support troubles. Including rest days, I would estimate his running days at somewhere around the 400. That would mean about 20 miles per running day. So 6 miles short of a marathon, each day.

dudeinjapan 2y ago

When he got tired, he slept. When he got hungry, he ate. When he had to go... he went.

bevan 2y ago

It is insane in today's world! But big mileage (barefoot, no less) is something we evolved for. Check out the great book Born to Run by Chris Macdougal which explores that concept.

gregwebs 2y ago
Micah True, a hero of Born to Run, died after the book was published at age 58 of heart failure while doing a 12 mile training run.
- bevan 2y ago
  Yes, that's explored in the sequel. He lives on in Urique, Mexico where his likeness is plastered everywhere and is the namesake for the big annual race in that town.