Michael Wardian

Michael Wardian (born April 12, 1974) is an American marathoner and ultra-marathoner. He won the 2008, 2009 and 2010 US 50 km championships[5] and the 2011 US 50 mile championship.[6] In 2008, he won the U.S. National 100 km championship.[7] Wardian also is the 2007 JFK 50 Mile winner, and won the National Marathon (now known as the Rock 'n' Roll USA Marathon) in Washington, D.C., three consecutive years (2006–2008), and in 2010, 2011 and 2012.[8][9][10][11][12] He ran in Maldives Addu marathon on June 29, 2018, and got first place and MVR12000. In 2020, Wardian won the Quarantine Backyard Ultra, running nearly 263 miles over the course of 63 hours without sleeping in a repetitive neighborhood loop in Arlington, VA to follow social distancing guidelines during the coronavirus pandemic.[13]

Michael Wardian
Wardian after winning his third straight National Marathon, March 2008
Personal information
NationalityAmerican
Born (1974-04-12) April 12, 1974
Morgantown, West Virginia
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight145 lb (66 kg)
Sport
SportLong-distance running
Event(s)Marathon, Ultramarathon
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)Mile: 4:34.6[1]
5K run: 15:09[2]1
10K run: 30:23[3]
Half Marathon: 1:06:30[3]
Marathon: 2:17:49[4]

Wardian is known for the vast number of marathons he participates in. During a 45-day span in 2006, Wardian won four out of five marathons he raced.[14] In 2007, he ran 13 marathons (not including ultra-marathons), and seven marathons in a span of nine weeks (winning three).[15] March 2008 saw Wardian win the National Marathon in Washington, D.C., on a Saturday, and then finish third at a marathon in Knoxville, Tennessee the very next day.[16] In 2008, Wardian ran a total of 53 races.[17] Wardian frequently participates in local races in the Washington, D.C., area.[18]

Running career
Michael Wardian (right) and Jean-Charles Perrin of the Ultra-Trail World Tour organization (left) before the 2015 Grand Raid in Saint-Pierre, Réunion.

Wardian set the world record for fastest marathon while pushing a jogging stroller from May 2007 to November 2009.[8][19] He set the record at the 2007 Frederick Marathon with a time of 2:42:21. The record was broken at a duel at the 2009 Route 66 marathon by Zac Freudenburg, whose 2:32:10 time beat Wardian's 2:34:37 time.[19]

Wardian also was a former record holder of the fastest Marathon on a treadmill.[8] He qualified and participated in the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Men's Olympic Marathon trials.[14][20] Some of the notable ultra-marathons Wardian has completed include the Marathon des Sables, the Western States Endurance Run, the Himalayan 100 Mile Stage Race and the Vermont 100 Mile Endurance Run.[17][21][22] The United States Track and Field Association named Wardian the 2008 and 2009 Ultra Runner of the year.[17][23][24]

In November 2009, Wardian finished third in the IAU World 50K championships held in Gibraltar.[25] In 2010, Wardian finished third at the Marathon des Sables in 23 hours 1 minute 3 seconds, which was the best time ever by an American.[26] In February 2011, the International Association of Ultrarunners named Wardian its inaugural Athlete of the Year.[27]

On July 1, 2010, Wardian set the record for fastest indoor 200-meter track marathon record, with a time of 2:27:21.[28] He qualified for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Marathon trials by running a 2:17:49 at the 2011 Grandma's Marathon.[29] In September 2011, he won the silver medal at the World 100K Championships.[29]

In January 2012, Wardian ran 2:21 at the US Olympic Trials in Houston on Saturday January 14, and 2:31 at the Houston Marathon the next morning. He finished 62nd at the Trials and 16th at the Marathon.[30]

In May 2014 he won the Wings for Life World Run in Sunrise running 57.75 km and finished 27th globally.[31] In 2015 he chose to compete in Melbourne winning the race with 70.66 km to be the 10th of the world.[32]

In January 2017, Wardian ran seven marathons in seven days on seven continents in a record average speed of 2:45.[33]

On September 15, 2017, Wardian won the Fenway Park Marathon in a time of 2:53.52.[34] The race had 51 participants who ran 116 laps on the warning track of the ball park.

On October 27, 2019, Wardian won the inaugural Marine Corps Marathon 50K with a time of 3:11:52.[35]

When asked in April 2009 why he competes in so many races, Wardian said:

A lot of people say, "Oh, you could be a 2:12 guy or a 2:14 guy if you just focused on one race a year, or two races a year and really built up." And I think the counter argument is that you could get hurt and you wouldn't have any races a year. There are so many opportunities out there and, I love to toe the line. I love to see what I can do and just push the limits and try and experiment with myself.

I like that people can look at me, and say, "Wow, if that guy can do 13 marathons a year and do pretty well maybe I can do one." I think a lot of people can relate to that. Like, that guy works a real job. He's not a professional runner.[36]

Personal

Wardian is a graduate of Oakton High School and Michigan State University, where he played for the lacrosse team.[18] Wardian did not run competitively until after college.[37] He lives in Arlington, Virginia, is a vegetarian,[26] and works as an International Shipbroker. Wardian chartered the cargo that was on the Maersk Alabama when it was hijacked in April 2009.[36] He is married with two children.[20]

Notes
  • ^1 This result is a road running 5K, for track race see 5000 metres.

References
  1. DC Road Runners Club. "dCRRC One Mile Track Championship (2006)".
  2. 2004 Damien's Run for Recovery 5k Run Results
  3. All-Athletics. "Profile of Michael Wardian".
  4. IAAF. "Athlete profile for Michael Wardian".
  5. "Wardian wins third USA 50 km title". usatf.org. US Track and Field. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  6. "Home - Tussey Mountainback". www.tusseymountainback.com. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  7. USATF (July 28, 2008). "Michael Wardian (34) of Arlington, VA Wins His Third 2008 National Championship". Runwashington.com. Archived from the original on November 20, 2008. Retrieved October 16, 2008.
  8. Cooper, Bob (June 2, 2008). "MICHAEL WARDIAN'S CRAZY PACE". RunnersWorld. Archived from the original on October 29, 2008. Retrieved October 16, 2008.
  9. "Wardian Wins Third Straight National Marathon". NBC4. March 29, 2008. Retrieved October 16, 2008.
  10. McFarland, Matt (March 21, 2010). "Michael Wardian wins his fourth National Marathon". Washington Post. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
  11. Wagner, James (March 27, 2011). "Michael Wardian wins National Marathon for fifth time in six years". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 27, 2011.
  12. Cruz, Dan. "Wardian, Bishop Win SunTrust Rock 'n' Roll USA Marathon". Competitor. Retrieved April 6, 2012.
  13. Maese, Rick (April 7, 2020). "Michael Wardian set out for a virtual ultra marathon. He kept running for 2½ days". Washington Post. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  14. "Wardian Father-Son Record". Run 4 Fun. April 17, 2007. Retrieved October 16, 2008.
  15. Barnas, Jo-Ann (August 28, 2009). "Endurance athlete has no 'off' switch". Detroit Free-Press. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  16. Powers, John (April 17, 2008). "Wardian Keeps a tireless pace". Boston Globe. Retrieved October 16, 2008.
  17. Gambaccini, Peter (March 13, 2009). "A Brief Chat With Michael Wardian". Runner's World. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  18. Woodrick, Drew (November–December 2003). "Michael Wardian: Discovery Channel". runwashington.com. Archived from the original on January 6, 2009. Retrieved January 31, 2009.
  19. "Route 66 Stroller Marathoner Breaks Guinness World Record". NewsOn6.com. November 23, 2009. Retrieved November 27, 2009.
  20. Ungrady, Dave (October 20, 2010). "A Real Marathon Man Runs 10 a Year". On the Run. NYTimes.com. Retrieved October 21, 2010.
  21. "2009 by Place". Archived from the original on July 5, 2009. Retrieved July 26, 2009.
  22. "Vermont 100 Endurance Race - 2000 results". Vermont100.com. Retrieved March 15, 2009.
  23. "Runner's World: Daily News". Runner's World. November 25, 2009. Archived from the original on November 28, 2009. Retrieved November 27, 2009.
  24. Degnan, Susan Miller (January 26, 2011). "ING Miami Marathon runner thrives on exhaustion". The Miami Herald. Retrieved January 28, 2011.
  25. "Semick Wins World 50K Championship". ultraRunning Online. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved November 4, 2009.
  26. Shipley, Amy (May 30, 2010). "Ultramarathoner Michael Wardian is determined to go as far as he can, as fast as he can". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 20, 2010.
  27. "IAU Athletes of the Year Announced!". February 9, 2011.
  28. Shipley, Amy (July 3, 2010). "Arlington's Michael Wardian sets indoor 200-meter track marathon record". Washington Post. Retrieved July 6, 2010.
  29. Waltz, Ken. "Gold medalist Wardian joins MDI Marathon field". The Harbor Times Soup. Retrieved September 27, 2011.
  30. Campbell, Steve (January 16, 2012). "Wardian runs marathons on consecutive days in Houston". The Houston Chronicle. Retrieved February 6, 2012.
  31. "World-Class Athletes Lolo Jones And Demarcus Ware Among Thousands Who Run For Those Who Can't In Inaugural Wings for Life World Run". PR Newswire. May 4, 2014. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
  32. McMillan, Alister (May 15, 2015). "Michael Wardian is the marathon man". The Australian. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
  33. Gartland, Dan (January 29, 2017). "Man runs seven marathons on seven continents in seven days at record speed". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
  34. , Boston Globe: At Fenway Park they ran 116 laps around the bases
  35. , WJLA: Arlington marathoner who ran around I-495 in June wins inaugural Marine Corps Marathon 50K
  36. Vigneron, Peter (April 20, 2009). "A Brief Chat With Michael Wardian". Runner's World. Archived from the original on April 22, 2009. Retrieved April 20, 2009.
  37. Harris, Cecil. "Can an underdog make the Olympic team?". nyrr.org. New York Road Runners. Archived from the original on August 20, 2008. Retrieved January 31, 2009.
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