Purpose2Play’s top three most read articles for November were all about those gritty marathon (and ultramarathon) runners. But, there’s so much more to them than pure endurance.
Here are our top five stories for the month:
5. Get a sneak peek of the 2018 AT&T Byron Nelson: New venue, new excitement, and same great cause
For most of us, golf season is winding down. But, for the AT&T Byron Nelson staff and volunteers, it’s go time—as they prep this Texas tour-de-force for one of the biggest changes the event has seen in decades.
Next year’s Nelson will be held at Trinity Forest Golf Course on May 14-20, 2018. It’s a new course, with a very different look, and a relocation from the suburb of Irving to the southern sector of Dallas. [More]
4. How Roderick Sewell Jackson went from homeless to Paralympic hopeful
There’s no telling where life will lead. Just ask San Diego native Roderick Sewell Jackson. As a young boy, he was homeless, walking around on prosthetic legs and terrified of water. Today, he’s training alongside world-class Olympic athletes.
His mission: Compete in the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo and take home hardware in the 100-meter breaststroke. [More]
3. Camille Herron drinks beer while shattering 100-mile run world record
Roderick Sewell Jackson with a young and eager swimmer. Photo: Roderick Sewell Jackson
Before Nov. 11, Camille Herron had never run a 100-mile race in her life. Now, after winning the Tunnel Hill 100-Miler in Vienna, Illinois with a time of 12 hours, 42 minutes and 40 seconds, she’s the new women’s world record holder for the distance.
Not only did she average 7:38 per mile to shatter the old record by more than an hour, and win the overall competition by more than 22 minutes, but she even drank beer during the race. [More]
2. Blind man runs New York City Marathon without a guide
Simon Wheatcroft made history Sunday when he crossed the finish line of the 2017 New York City Marathon. That’s because relying on the very technology he helped develop, he became the first blind person to run a marathon with ‘touch’ technology, meaning no one was leading him along the course.
The 35-year-old British man ran the race in 5 hours, 17 minutes and 40 seconds thanks to using a system which helped warn him of obstacles along the way. [Read more]
1. Running brings life, first place finishes to nonverbal twins with autism
Why worry about speaking when your running can do the talking for you? Identical twins Alex and Jamie Schneider, 27, have a severe form of autism that requires 24-hour per day care. They may not be able to cross the street by themselves, but out on the roads, they’re distance runners who are turning heads and doing more than holding their own.
Alex just ran his 17th marathon on Sunday when he swooped through New York City’s five boroughs in 2 hours, 50 minutes and 5 seconds to set a new personal record. It was his fourth New York City Marathon. [Read more]
