Michael Wardian

Michael Wardian

Michael Wardian after winning his third straight National Marathon, March 2008
Personal information
Born	12 April 1974 (1974-04-12) (age 37) Morgantown, West Virginia
Residence	Arlington, Virginia
Height	6 feet 0 inches (1.83 m)
Weight	145 pounds (66 kg)
Sport
Country	United States
Event(s)	Marathon, Ultramarathon
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	5000 m: 14:55 10000 m: 30:55 Half Marathon: 1:06:30 Marathon: 2:17:49

Michael Wardian (born April 12, 1974) is an American marathoner and ultra-marathoner. He won the 2008, 2009 and 2010 US 50 km championships.^[1] In 2008, he won the U.S. National 100 km championship.^[2] Wardian also is the 2007 JFK 50 Mile winner, and won the National Marathon in Washington D.C. three consecutive years (2006–2008), and in 2010 and 2011.^[3][4][5][6]

Wardian is known for the vast number of marathons he participates in. During a 45 day span in 2006, Wardian won four out of five marathons he raced.^[7] In 2007, he ran 13 marathons (not including ultra-marathons), and seven marathons in a span of nine weeks (winning three).^[8] March 2008 saw Wardian win the National Marathon in Washington D.C. on a Saturday, and then finish third at a marathon in Knoxville, Tennessee the very next day.^[9] In 2008, Wardian ran a total of 53 races.^[10] In addition to the national and global races he participates in, Wardian can frequently be seen running in local races around the Washington D.C. area.^[11]

Wardian held the world record for fastest marathon while pushing a jogging stroller from May 2007 to November 2009.^[3][12] He set the record at the 2007 Frederick Marathon with a time of 2:42:21. The record was broken at a duel at the 2009 Route 66 marathon by Zac Freudenburg, whose 2:32:10 time beat Wardian's 2:34:37 time.^[12]

Wardian also was a former record holder of the fastest Marathon on a treadmill.^[3] He qualified and participated in the 2004 and 2008 Men's Olympic Marathon trials.^[7][13] Some of the notable ultra-marathons Wardian has completed include the Marathon des Sables, the Western States Endurance Run, the Himalayan 100 Mile Stage Race and the Vermont 100 Mile Endurance Run.^[10][14][15] The United States Track and Field Association named Wardian the 2008 and 2009 Ultra Runner of the year.^[10][16][17]

In November 2009, Wardian finished third in the IAU World 50K championships held on the island of Gibraltar.^[18] In 2010, Wardian finished third at the Marathon des Sables in 23 hours 1 minute 3 seconds, which was the best time ever by an American.^[19] In February 2011, the International Association of Ultrarunners named Wardian its inaugural Athlete of the Year.^[20]

On July 1, 2010, Wardian set the record for fastest indoor 200-meter track marathon record, with a time of 2:27:21.^[21] He qualified for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Marathon trials by running a 2:17:49 at the 2011 Grandma's Marathon.^[22] In September 2011, he won the silver medal at the World 100K Championships.^[22]

When asked in April 2009 why he competes in so many races, Wardian said:

A lot of people say, "Oh, you could be a 2:12 guy or a 2:14 guy if you just focused on one race a year, or two races a year and really built up." And I think the counter argument is that you could get hurt and you wouldn't have any races a year. There are so many opportunities out there and, I love to toe the line. I love to see what I can do and just push the limits and try and experiment with myself. I like that people can look at me, and say, "Wow, if that guy can do 13 marathons a year and do pretty well maybe I can do one." I think a lot of people can relate to that. Like, that guy works a real job. He's not a professional runner.^[23]

Personal

Wardian is a graduate of Oakton High School and Michigan State University, where he played for the lacrosse team.^[11] Wardian did not run competitively until after college.^[24] He lives in Arlington, Virginia, is a vegeterian^[19], and works as an International Shipbroker. Wardian charted the cargo that was on the Maersk Alabama when it was hijacked in April 2009.^[23] He is married with two children.^[13]

References

1. ^ "Wardian wins third USA 50 km title". usatf.org. US Track and Field. http://www.usatf.org/news/view.aspx?DUID=USATF_2010_03_09_14_21_26. Retrieved 2010-03-14. 
2. ^ "Michael Wardian (34) of Arlington, VA Wins His Third 2008 National Championship". Runwashington.com. Runwashington.com. July 28, 2008. http://www.runwashington.com/news/jul08mwardianUS50Mtrail.html. Retrieved 2008-10-16. 
3. ^ ^{a b c} Cooper, Bob (June 2, 2008). "MICHAEL WARDIAN'S CRAZY PACE". RunnersWorld. http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-243-297--12644-0,00.html. Retrieved 2008-10-16. 
4. ^ "Wardian Wins Third Straight National Marathon". NBC4. March 29, 2008. http://www.nbc4.com/sports/15739826/detail.html. Retrieved 2008-10-16. 
5. ^ McFarland, Matt (21 March 2010). "Michael Wardian wins his fourth National Marathon". Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/20/AR2010032001330.html. Retrieved 22 March 2010. 
6. ^ Wagner, James (27 March 2011). "Michael Wardian wins National Marathon for fifth time in six years". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/michael-wardian-wins-national-marathon-for-fifth-time-in-six-years/2011/03/26/AF4pr2cB_story.html. Retrieved 27 March 2011. 
7. ^ ^{a b} "Wardian Father-Son Record". Run 4 Fun. April 17, 2007. http://www.run4fun.org/id20.html. Retrieved 2008-10-16. 
8. ^ Barnas, Jo-Ann (August 28, 2009). "Endurance athlete has no 'off' switch". Detroit Free-Press. 
9. ^ Powers, John (April 17, 2008). "Wardian Keeps a tireless pace". Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/sports/specials/marathon/articles/2008/04/17/keeping_a_tireless_pace/. Retrieved 2008-10-16. 
10. ^ ^{a b c} Gambaccini, Peter (March 13, 2009). "A Brief Chat With Michael Wardian". Runner's World. 
11. ^ ^{a b} Woodrick, Drew (Nov/Dec 2003). "Michael Wardian: Discovery Channel". runwashington.com. http://www.runwashington.com/features/profilemichaelwardian.html. Retrieved 2009-01-31. 
12. ^ ^{a b} "Route 66 Stroller Marathoner Breaks Guinness World Record". NewsOn6.com. November 23, 2009. http://www.newson6.com/Global/story.asp?S=11553598. Retrieved 27 November 2009. 
13. ^ ^{a b} Ungrady, Dave (20 October 2010). "A Real Marathon Man Runs 10 a Year". On the Run (NYTimes.com). http://marathon.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/20/a-real-marathon-man-runs-10-a-year/. Retrieved 21 October 2010. 
14. ^ http://ws100.com/results09.htm
15. ^ "Vermont 100 Endurance Race - 2000 results". Vermont100.com. http://www.vermont100.com/2000_results.html. Retrieved 2009-03-15. 
16. ^ "Runner's World: Daily News". Runner's World. November 25, 2009. http://dailynews.runnersworld.com/2009/11/november-25.html. Retrieved 27 November 2009. 
17. ^ Degnan, Susan Miller (26 January 2011). "ING Miami Marathon runner thrives on exhaustion". The Miami Herald. http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/01/27/2036464/ing-miami-marathon-runner-thrives.html. Retrieved 28 January 2011. 
18. ^ "Semick Wins World 50K Championship". ultraRunning Online. http://www.ultrarunning.com/ultra/features/news/semick-wins-world-50k-cha.shtml. Retrieved 2009-11-04. 
19. ^ ^{a b} Shipley, Amy (May 30, 2010). "Ultramarathoner Michael Wardian is determined to go as far as he can, as fast as he can". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/28/AR2010052803227.html. Retrieved 20 June 2010. 
20. ^ "IAU Athletes of the Year Announced!". February 9, 2011. http://www.iau-ultramarathon.org/index.asp?menucode=h02&col001=912&tmp=tmp3&foto=photo0. 
21. ^ Shipley, Amy (3 July 2010). "Arlington's Michael Wardian sets indoor 200-meter track marathon record". Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/02/AR2010070205198.html. Retrieved 6 July 2010. 
22. ^ ^{a b} Waltz, Ken. "Gold medalist Wardian joins MDI Marathon field". The Harbor Times Soup. http://mdi.villagesoup.com/sports/story/gold-medalist-wardian-joins-mdi-marathon-field/449202. Retrieved 27 September 2011. 
23. ^ ^{a b} Vigneron, Peter (April 20, 2009). "A Brief Chat With Michael Wardian". Runner's World. http://dailynews.runnersworld.com/2009/04/a-brief-chat-with-michael-wardian.html. Retrieved 2009-04-20. 
24. ^ Harris, Cecil. "Can an underdog make the Olympic team?". nyrr.org. New York Road Runners. http://www.nyrr.org/races/pro/profiles/Wardian.asp. Retrieved 2009-01-31. 

External links

• USATF profile

Persondata
Name	Michael Wardian
Alternative names
Short description	Marathon runner
Date of birth	April 12, 1974
Place of birth	Morgantown, WV
Date of death
Place of death