Race season has just begun but Team Injinji’s Michael Wardian has been one busy guy! In March he raced the 250k ULTRAX in Sri Lanka, the Cherry Blossom 10 miler in Washington DC, followed by a trip to the Galápagos Islands where he set several FKT’s (fastest known times). Straight from the Galápagos, he hurried to catch flights and traveled through multiple time zones to get to the start line of the Boston Marathon, where he paced his friend Brian Reynolds, a parade athlete-double amputee. However, he didn’t stop there. Mike has embarked on a huge project that we are excited to share.
On May 1, Mike began a project entitled “Running Home'', a transcontinental run from San Francisco, California to Dewey Beach, Delaware along route 50, nicknamed The Loneliest Road in America. This nearly 3,000 mile trek will be the longest distance Mike has ever taken on, second to his run across Israel, where he traversed 622 miles in 10 days. So far, Mike has been averaging 50 miles per day and is currently running through Kansas. He has passed through 4 states and run approximately 1,500 miles. He has encountered extreme weather, blissfully enjoyed running with new and old friends from all across the west, and burned through tons of audiobooks and playlists. We highly recommend tuning into his journey on Instagram, where he shares a daily round-up of photos and stories from the day.
So why did Michael Wardian decide to run across the country?
The overarching purpose of this endeavor is to raise money for clean water initiatives with WorldVision, which is an NGO devoted to addressing the causes of poverty and injustice around the globe. Mike has currently raised over $30,000 with a goal to reach $100,000 by the end of his cross country run. Here is the link to support Mike's clean water cause.
Beyond Mike's humanitarian efforts, another goal of this project is to finish the run in under 75 days. Mike would love to be able to finish on July 4, which would be approximately 65 days but he acknowledges that it's important to take it one day at a time.
To Mike, this is, "a natural evolution of everything I’ve worked and have trained for since I started running back in 1995. I was also inspired by the movie Forrest Gump,” he joked.
How does one prepare to run across the United States?
On top of his running, Mike includes strength and conditioning, CrossFit type workouts, and cycling to build his aerobic capacity. For him, a typical training day begins at 4:45am with strength and conditioning as his first workout, a run with his two vizslas Rosie and Bash, an additional midday run, and some sort of other short training at the end of the day. Between sessions Mike works remote from home and spends time with his family, to integrate the perfect balance. “It takes help and patience from the people in my life. My wife Jennifer is incredible and our kids Pierce and Grant are a big part of allowing me to do these things.”
This endeavor is like no other, and it really does take a team, which means a solid crew and pacers to assist along the way. Mike’s full-time crew consists of his dad, Dick Wardian and Eric Belz, who came highly recommended by Mike’s friend Karl Meltzer. Together they are traveling in an RV to maintain a mobile kitchen and sleeping quarters. There are also about 30 volunteers who will step in throughout the journey to assist and pace when needed.
Mike and his team are showing us that what we do together is better than what we do alone. Be sure to follow along as Mike takes the scenic route all the way toward the Atlantic.
