Over the past three years, I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback for the way I’ve used my running to try to make the world a better place. Just in case you’ve never been here before, let me take a minute to explain, since it’s relevant to this post.
This site, Operation Jack, is also the name of my foundation, the Operation Jack Autism Foundation. I named it after my son, Jack. He’s coming up on 9 and is severely autistic — still in diapers, not really talking, spent yesterday enjoying summer with seven hours of in-home therapy. It kills me to look at him, a precious human being, and think about the lifelong struggles he’s going to have. It’s always bothered me a ton, and years ago, I decided I wanted to make some good come out of it. I wanted some good to come out of his lifetime of bad.
I spent a lot of time brainstorming things with a couple of friends of mine, Jonathan and Lori, in late 2008 and early 2009. After getting their feedback and refining ideas, I finally had an idea in early 2009, to run a whole lot of marathons as hard as I could to raise money for an autism charity (Train 4 Autism ended up being the charity I became a part of and raising money for). The point I want to get across is these are the two people I went to and trusted about this before I even brought the idea to my wife. They understand distance running and they have the kind of character I can rely on.
In 2010, I ended up running 61 full marathons to raise money and awareness for Train 4 Autism. I grossed close to $90K that first year and have passed $140K total. Through it all, I’ve gotten a lot of praise, which I try to brush off. I’m not good at accepting complements. Actually, I’m really bad at it. But one word I’ve heard a lot is “inspiring” … a lot of people have told me they find me inspiring. I feel weird writing that, because it makes me feel creepy and arrogant to write something like that about myself, but I’ve heard it a lot and it leads me to what I want to focus on in this post.
Here’s who I find inspiring:
My friend Jonathan that I mentioned. Jonathan Gunderson (Website | Twitter). Jonathan is an amazing runner an an even more amazing person. He’s by far the most talented ultramarathon runner I know and I know very few people with personal qualities as solid as his. I’m really excited that I have a guest blog from him that I’m going to run Monday, but I want to talk about him on my own today. There’s three things I want to touch — his running, his cause and his character.
His Running
Gundy is, without question, the most amazing ultramarathon runner I know. Ultramarathons, just in case you don’t know, are races longer than a full marathon. Typically, they start at 50K (31 miles) and Jonathan is running one on Monday that’s 135 miles. He’s pretty fast at the marathon distance — I’m pretty sure he runs in the low 2:50s — but those are never goal races for him. He trains to place high (or win) 50-milers, 100-milers. He’s insane (in a good way!).
Two years ago, he ran the Western States 100, one of the most prestigious 100-milers in the country. It’s an extremely challenging race in the summer. The big goal for most folks there is to finish in less than 24 hours. Jonathan went out to place competitively, though. Unfortunately, he suffered a severe ankle sprain about 15 miles in. Still, he finished somewhere around 23:47, breaking 24. To restate, he finished the Western States 100 in less than 24 hours running 85 of the miles with a severely sprained ankle!
The toughest race he runs, though, is the Badwater Ultramarathon. If you know what that race is, you’re probably shaking your head already. If you don’t, the following description is not a typo. It’s a 135-mile race that starts at 282 feet below sea level and runs up to Mt. Whitney. It’s in mid-July in Death Valley, California. Temps reach towards 130 degrees. The asphalt gets up towards 200. They run on the paint on the road because it’s cooler (read: less hot) and a little less likely to melt their shoes. It’s so hot, it feels chilly to him when it drops below 80 degrees! 135 miles in temps well over 100 … UPHILL!
He’s running it Monday, the fifth time he’s run it. One year, he was the youngest participant in the field. Another year, he finished somewhere around top-15. This year, he wants to do a lot better. I think his specifics are in the guest blog he wrote for me, but I only glanced at it on my phone. I want to write about him from my own perspective — I don’t want to just write what he wrote. I’ll be tracking him, praying for him to compete well and safely. What he’s doing out there is amazing, way beyond anything I could ever do. But he’s not doing it for himself.
His Cause
Like me, Jonathan doesn’t run for himself. He runs with a purpose. While I run to fight autism, he runs on behalf of the World Harvest Mission, raising money to build wells in Uganda. Through his work, entire villages get clean drinking water and see God’s love in action. We take it for granted that when we’re thirsty, we don’t have to go cup what we can out of a muddy river. It’s pretty fitting that the race he runs that drives him is called Badwater. That’s what those folks are stuck with before WHM helps them.
He’s putting on a race in San Francisco on September 8 called Running For The Wells. Through my foundation, I’m going to help him put it on and hopefully make it as successful as possible. This is the first time you’ve heard about it here. It certainly won’t be the last.
His Character
Gundy is as good as they come. He’s a strong Christian, who walks the walk and doesn’t just talk the talk. I’ve met a lot of good people through running and he ranks way up there with the best of them. Even without his running or his fundraising, I’d have a huge amount of respect for him, because very simply, he’s a good person. But running and charity work brought us together. One thing I don’t talk about a lot here is that I’ve met a lot of great people through my running. It’s been an amazing journey and I’ve been pretty blessed to head down this path.
Running and charity work is why and how I met him and I’m better for it. He’s a great influence and inspiration, the kind of guy who makes me want to live my life better because I don’t want to let him down.
If I’ve ever inspired you, Jonathan should definitely inspire you.
And Finally, …
If you’re on Twitter, make sure you follow him. And make sure you come back on Monday to read his guest blog. If you’re anywhere near the Bay Area, RUN HIS RACE on September 8! If you’re not near there, but you’re charitable and have any kind of discretionary budget, he sure wouldn’t you heading over to his site and asking for a donation! If you can’t afford a donation right now, you’re not alone with this economy, but share this blog around — you never know when you’re going to reach the right set of eyes.
Oh, and unrelated, I’m giving away $250 to a cause. If you want it to be your cause, check my blog from Monday and get back to me today!
That’s all for now. Have a great Wednesday and let somebody know about Gundy!
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