By David Fleet
dfleet@mihomepaper.com
Brandon Twp. — In September on Mount Desert Island near Bar Harbor, Maine a 14 year, 1,310 mile trek came to an end for Brandon Township runner Randy Purol.
“Running is way more mental than physical,” said Purol, 52. “Train your mind, not just your legs, it is way, way too easy to stop.”
Purol recently completed his quest of 50 marathons in all 50 states. While each 26.2 mile run was a challenge the estimated 30,000 miles of training over the years provided the real payoff.
“My motivation is to stay healthy,” said Purol, a Posen High School graduate. “Now I eat better and the time running gives me a time to purge your mind. It’s mental therapy and resets my day. No earphones or music. Just listen to what’s out there.”
I’ve been an avid runner for the last 13 years,” he said. “I played sports in high school and played beer league baseball with friends but I was not a runner. Then, in 2010 my wife Lydia began training for a marathon so to support her I ran along. Well, she ran two marathons and I just kept going. Also, I was working out of town a lot and had a lot of spare time. Not to mention restaurant food was getting the best of me.”
After that time Purol joined up with a good friend Scott Whisler in a quest to run a marathon in all 50 states. The pair tried to do about two trips per year.
The marathon quest requires some serious daily commitments including joining Clarkston Wolfpack group who run year round, covering a 12 mile loop with times of 8 minute to 11 minute miles. In addition, Purol dons a headlamp early each morning and runs through the Brandon Township back roads on average 50 miles per week.
“There was never a doubt I could do 50 marathons, the real issue was finding the time,” he said. “Consider the travel, costs and you just can’t do five races in one month. It’s tough to make it work with all of the other challenges of life.”
Purol recalls a few of the many highlights of the 50 marathons.
“The South Dakota Marathon was one of the worst,” he said. “It was like a one mile loop on a rocky driveway, by the end of the race your feet hurt from running on the loose rock.”
The 2022 Boston Marathon is one of his favorites.
“That year the running field was small due to COVID,” he said. “The course is amazing and in 2022 and you could really experience the course without the crowds. But that will not happen again.”
The Chicago Marathon was also one of his greatest, with a time of 3:08, he said.
“The spectators in Chicago supporting the runners was awesome,” he said. “Along the whole course there were so many people cheering you on, there was a constant roar of the crowds.”
The Big Sur Marathon along California’s Pacific Coast and the Mount Desert Island near Bar Harbor, Maine on the East coast were by far the most picturesque.
“The weather in Maine during September was perfect, not to mention the seafood is off the charts good.”
Purol provided some suggestions to those taking on any marathon or shorter races.
“The people who dress up in costumes are entertaining but, need to consider there’s too much to go wrong,” he said. “There’s the chance of either overheating or chafing or both for that matter.”
Don’t worry about how fast the other guy is running, he said.
“If they take off too fast you’ll catch up eventually, run your own race and pace,” he said. “Running is about you and your training, the race is against the clock. If you put in the effort the results is going to show up.”