Runner closes in on 70 consecutive half-marathons
Some days, ‘my legs feel heavy and every step hurts’
WATERLOO —
After burning through three pair of shoes, about 10 books-on-tape and almost 1,500 relentless kilometres, Waterloo’s Emily Rudow is nearing the end of a gruelling pursuit of a world record.
Rudow, founder of hockey pants maker Oneiric, is trying to run 70 consecutive half-marathons — one each day for almost 2 1/2 months — to raise $10,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society.
She’s already passed the current record of 60 consecutive half-marathons, and hopes to finish her campaign with a final run on July 23 in Toronto’s Distillery District.
Although running more than 21 kilometres each day, seven days a week, has taken its toll on her feet, legs and mind, Rudow is in good spirits as she approaches her 70th half-marathon.
“I’ve definitely had some really hard days that have been a huge
struggle and every kilometre has been a challenge,” said the 28-year-old. “But overall, I feel pretty good. I thought I’d be a lot more sore than I am.”
Rudow decided to pursue the world record because she wanted to challenge herself, and she wanted to support the cancer society after losing family members to the disease, including her aunt.
So far, the Waterloo-raised Wilfrid Laurier University grad has managed to avoid injury, using a foam roller, icing her knees and stretching a lot to help her body recover. She is tracking her daily runs using a GPS training watch, which verifies and uploads her route, pace and distance.
The toughest part has been keeping her mind entertained on what can seem like an endless stretch of trails and roads, Rudow said. She plays mind techniques to help pass the time and listens to audio books — which she stops at the end of each run, as motivation to go out the next day to resume the story.
“Mentally, some of these runs feel like they take forever. They just go on and on,” she said. “So I use the books to keep me excited to get out the door again.”
Rudow was already an accomplished long-distance runner before she began this world record pursuit. But she’s never logged this kind of distance on a daily basis, without a break.
“There are days when my legs feel heavy and every step hurts,” she said.
“Then I’ll get up the next day and feel great again. Although sometimes I’ll get up and be like, ‘This is terrible,’ and think there’s no way I can go out the door.”
To follow Rudow’s pursuit of the world record, and to donate to the Canadian Cancer Society, go to her website at emilyrudow.com.