Growing up, we all heard this or something similar: "When I was your age, I walked three miles to school, uphill both ways." Dedicated runner Quinn Schneider has his own tale, however, very much steeped in truth. The North Carolina high school senior shoveled eight inches of fresh snow off of one lane at the track just to get his [...]
It's difficult to say, "Once a runner, always a runner." The sport is hard on the body. Plain and simple, and many folks are forced to find low-impact alternatives. That's what makes Doyle Carpenter so unique. He's 78 years old, and he's not just been a casual runner his entire life. He's been doing ultramarathons -- 130 to be exact. [...]
When people see Albert Booth running, most think he is in his 70's. No one ever guesses that he's 97 years old. The World War II veteran from Pennsylvania began running after he retired in 1978. He aims for one race a week, and keeps a log detailing his finishing time and the weather conditions for each event. He even [...]
Rocky Balboa has nothing on 75-year-old Don Wright. In November, Wright ran his 100th marathon in Philadelphia, but that's just a sliver of his story. He didn't start running until he was 62 years old. Then two weeks after he completed his first marathon, he was diagnosed with a rare and incurable type of blood cancer called multiple myeloma. Doctors [...]
Photo by Dianne M Webster By Kim Constantinesco There's no easy way to receive and endure adversity. Most of the time, we can't prepare ourselves for it. Our culture tells us to ignore it, bat it away, and look to brighter days. But, what if there's no other option but to sit in its powerful path? That [...]
Photo courtesy of Nik Hawks Our top five stories from November based on page views: 5. Elite Runner Becky Wade Ran Over 3,500 Miles To Study Running Cultures Across The Globe Sure, running will leave you speechless. But, running around the world? That will spark your voice and turn you into a storyteller. Becky Wade, 27, knows a [...]
Photo: Runacrossamerica/Instagram Happy Thanksgiving, Purpose2Play readers! In honor of the day, we checked in with six athletes we did feature stories on this year to see what their Thanksgiving traditions are and what they're most grateful for this year. Without further ado, their answers: Suzy Favor Hamilton (Former Olympic Runner) My favorite tradition is just our Thanksgiving get [...]
Photo courtesy of Becky Wade Kim Constantinesco Sure, running will leave you speechless. But, running around the world? That will spark your voice and turn you into a storyteller. Becky Wade, 27, knows a thing or two about accumulating miles. She's a professional long distance runner and a former All-American, who in her marathon debut, became the [...]
One man's Gatorade is another man's scotch. At 96 years old, Jonathan Mendes held up a nip of Scotch and toasted with his trainer, Tom Mangan, on Sunday night. And, for good reason. Mendes had just crossed the finish line at the 2016 NYC Marathon in 11 hours, 20 minutes with Mangan and another runner serving as his guide. You [...]
Photo: WalkingwithKP/Twitter In last year's New York City Marathon, Brent Pease and his brother, Kyle, had every reason not to cross the finish line. Kyle has cerebral palsy, and Brent often pushes his wheelchair in endurance events. Unfortunately, one of the wheels broke at mile 8 in the 2015 race. Brent tried to carry Kyle, but that wasn't [...]