Are all these guys legit? I know one of them, and have my doubts based on personal conversation. Out of any group of over a hundred people, how many are scrupulously honest, even at a "distance" as ridiculous as a mile minimum?
I know that both Craig Davidson and Doug Holland are legit. I also know that Stuart Calderwood in NYC is at about 20 years, and his runs are seldom short. In contrast, my best streak is 91 days!
I know Bob Hensley, who is listed down under ten years. Bob was a 4x OT qualifier and ran for Oregon while Pre was there. If he started, as it says here in '94 it is only becasue he was injured just prior to that. He had a streak going back in the 60's-90's that was one of the longest in the US.
This doesn't tell how much they are averaging. If some of these folks are only getting 3 miles a day then this isn't very impressive.
Or one
What's the criteria for the list? The number of days run naked? Outdoors, indoors, how long? Am I missing something?
Anyway, some of those numbers are impressive. That's a long time to do anything.
Basically a continuous mile under your own power with no aid.
Kilgore blows wrote:
What's the criteria for the list? The number of days run naked? Outdoors, indoors, how long? Am I missing something?
Anyway, some of those numbers are impressive. That's a long time to do anything.
The better question is, WHO CARES? I'd be much more impressed by something like most consecutive years under 5:00 mile, or 3:00 marathon, or something with both quality and verifiability.
The people that own the streaks care, very much. They don't ask others to care or react in any particular way. Streaks have lives of their own.
I know a former college teammate of Mark Covert and also know another fellow w/over 25 years listed. My longest streak was 2008 days, 5 1/2 years. You can't really plan to have a streak...they just kinda happen.
It's not the most impressive accomplishment, no, but to a) go 35 years without any sort of an injury or soreness demanding that you take a day off and b) go 35 years without ever not having time to run is pretty damn impressive.
I had a streak of 18 years, 36 days in a row that I didn't run. Can anyone beat that?
This one seems suspect:
91. Joel Pearson 09/03/94 3743 days (10 years 91 days) Mead, WA, Student, 19
He started when he was 9?
He did. His dad is Jim Pearson, former US 50 mile record holder and one of the people at the top of the list. They started running together when Joel was 9 or 10 or so.
Mark Covert is the XC coach at my city's junior college. I don't know him personally, but his steak has been mentioned in the local paper a few times.
John Roemer III and John Roemer IV are legit. III had a long streak before being laid up in the hospital in 1990. So now he has another, shorter streak going. John IV (his son) apparently starting streaking at 18 and hasn't stopped. Both are really great guys . . . I teach with John III and can only try to match his virtuosity in the classroom and on the running trails.
scotth wrote:
They don't ask others to care or react in any particular way. Streaks have lives of their own.
Then how did they end up on a publicized list if they don't care what people think?
And how would you know what each individual thinks?
From previous threads, it is easy to see that Scott knows what we are thinking even before we do. He also knows what is good and bad for us and makes thoses decisions for us from time to time.
Mr Platt, I doubt the streakers organized the list to impress others. At some point, the numbers start speaking for themselves and need no translation. I'm sure all of them are proud of their streak and have prolonged it a time or three when a day off was an excellent option.
Why publicize the list? Why not? They're just numbers. The better story is the story behind each streak.
Somebody asked cynically, WHO CARES? That set off my response you quote above. The streakers care about their consecutive days in ways only they can best describe. It's very unlikely they care what others think about their streak.
truth b. known wrote:
From previous threads, it is easy to see that Scott knows what we are thinking even before we do. He also knows what is good and bad for us and makes thoses decisions for us from time to time.
This is because, unlike the rest of you, I pull my pants on both legs at the same time.
mplatt wrote:
[quote]scotth wrote:
They don't ask others to care or react in any particular way. Streaks have lives of their own.
Then how did they end up on a publicized list if they don't care what people think?
And how would you know what each individual thinks?[/quote
Almost every streak runner I've known would agree that it's just something he does because he enjoys it and enjoys his streak. As to publicizing the streaks, there have been a few people who've taken an interest in running streaks and have searched out various streakers and lengths of streaks. George Hancock from Windber, Pa. began, many years ago, compiling lists of people who maintained streaks and putting the list up on some websites. Also, in Baltimore, some friends of Bob Ray decided that streaks deserved some sort of recognition and started an organization. I'm not sure why or what the point of the organization is, but it does put lists up.
So I think that Scott is right. Most streak runners care about their streak and don't really care about what others think, but the publicity has come because there are people here and there other than the streakers themselves who have taken an interest and done some "publicizing."