Trending...
- One Night. One Encounter. A New Season Of Purpose
- We are Talker Study: 64% of AI Users Have Bought From a Brand AI Introduced, as The Invisible Shortlist Reshapes Brand Discovery
- Bountiful Bowl Aims to Raise $50,000 to Support Meals on Wheels of the Greater Lehigh Valley
PITTSBURGH, March 25, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- COVID-19 might have put a stop to the Pittsburgh marathon, but it didn't stop a group of Pittsburgh runners from planning their own. During the wee hours of the morning Friday, March 27, elite athlete Jeff Gleason and his running buddies will go the distance – running while the rest of Pittsburgh sleeps.
His small team is nothing short of extraordinary: "Wayne Kurtz is our de facto race director -- he actually ran 30 full Ironmen over 30 straight days," says Gleason. I'll serve as co-pilot and Bill Thompson, ultra-runner extraordinaire, will be my wingman. He ran across the entire state of Tennessee for no particular reason."
When the alarm rings, they will lace up their running shoes and strap on head lamps. Starting somewhere between 1 and 2 a.m., they will track their miles by Garmin and finish long before the city wakes. And afterwards, they are planning to go to work.
Gleason is not a quitter. In addition to medaling in marathons, he has completed over 70 ultramarathons. His "never say die" attitude got him through four 135-mile crossings of the Mojave Desert in unbearable heat and Big Foot, an excruciating 200-mile race through mixed terrain across the Cascade Mountains in Washington State.
More on The PennZone
That perseverance also came into play a few years ago, when debilitating knee pain knocked Gleason off course. Several physicians told him knee replacement was necessary, and he would never run again. After searching high and low, he found Richard Berger, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, who performs joint replacement without cutting muscles, ligaments or tendons. Because of this, the recovery is faster with less scar tissue build up. That means within months, athletes like Jeff can return to their sport. In fact, three months post-surgery, Jeff completed the Pittsburgh Half Marathon. In hindsight, he says, "I could have done the whole [26.2], but my wife would have killed me."
In addition to the Pittsburgh Marathon, Jeff was planning to complete his 30th 100-miler ultra in New Jersey—which was also cancelled. But even with no foreseeable races in his future, he found a silver lining. "Fortunately (or maybe not so fortunately)," says Gleason, "I have some friends who are crazy enough to run over 26 miles in the middle of the night."
Above all, Jeff is just happy to be running again—pain free. "There is a running God," he admits, "and his name is Dr. Berger."
SOURCE Jeff Gleason
His small team is nothing short of extraordinary: "Wayne Kurtz is our de facto race director -- he actually ran 30 full Ironmen over 30 straight days," says Gleason. I'll serve as co-pilot and Bill Thompson, ultra-runner extraordinaire, will be my wingman. He ran across the entire state of Tennessee for no particular reason."
When the alarm rings, they will lace up their running shoes and strap on head lamps. Starting somewhere between 1 and 2 a.m., they will track their miles by Garmin and finish long before the city wakes. And afterwards, they are planning to go to work.
Gleason is not a quitter. In addition to medaling in marathons, he has completed over 70 ultramarathons. His "never say die" attitude got him through four 135-mile crossings of the Mojave Desert in unbearable heat and Big Foot, an excruciating 200-mile race through mixed terrain across the Cascade Mountains in Washington State.
More on The PennZone
- ALight Technology And Services Limited Advances Through Peachscore + Dealum Accelerator and Join LvlUp Labs
- NAO Releases Shopping Intelligence to Streamline Your Quest for Value
- International Misophonia Foundation Launches Sensory Accessible Technology Initiative to Address Overlooked Digital Accessibility Barriers
- The Robert Travers Team of Long & Foster Marks 300+ Homes Sold, Expands Seller Representation
- CLINIMED Becomes First Liposuction Cannula Maker to Offer 3D and AR Models of Its Cannula Range
That perseverance also came into play a few years ago, when debilitating knee pain knocked Gleason off course. Several physicians told him knee replacement was necessary, and he would never run again. After searching high and low, he found Richard Berger, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, who performs joint replacement without cutting muscles, ligaments or tendons. Because of this, the recovery is faster with less scar tissue build up. That means within months, athletes like Jeff can return to their sport. In fact, three months post-surgery, Jeff completed the Pittsburgh Half Marathon. In hindsight, he says, "I could have done the whole [26.2], but my wife would have killed me."
In addition to the Pittsburgh Marathon, Jeff was planning to complete his 30th 100-miler ultra in New Jersey—which was also cancelled. But even with no foreseeable races in his future, he found a silver lining. "Fortunately (or maybe not so fortunately)," says Gleason, "I have some friends who are crazy enough to run over 26 miles in the middle of the night."
Above all, Jeff is just happy to be running again—pain free. "There is a running God," he admits, "and his name is Dr. Berger."
SOURCE Jeff Gleason
0 Comments
Latest on The PennZone
- Steve Weclew is Appointed by STS Capital Partners as Managing Director
- Communities In Schools of Eastern Pennsylvania Honors United Way and Local Leaders
- New Finnish Affiliate Site Ilmaiskierrokset.com Puts Wager-Free Spins in the Spotlight
- Major FDA Victory; Preservative-Free Ketamine Approved Ahead of November 10 Goal Date as Commercial Launch Opportunity Comes Into Focus for NRx Pharma
- Veterans Day Breakfast Celebration in Valley Forge to Honor America's Military Heroes
- Best Black Friday 2026 Deals on Lightweight Foldable Electric Wheelchairs – Save Up to 60%
- Immerse Yourself in the Historic Tochigi Autumn Festival, Celebrated Every Two Years Since 1874
- Resident Inspect Expands Virtual Property Inspections With AppFolio and Rentvine Integrations
- Unlocking the Next Phase of Growth with New AI Innovations; Targeting 2027 as Breakeven; Revenue Momentum Accelerates: ZenaTech (N A S D A Q: ZENA)
- Dr. Marilyn Pendelton Releases The Grief Reset to Address Grief Beyond Death
- AeroNet Deploys netElastic vBNG and CGNAT with Tarana Wireless to Deliver Scalable, Fiber-Class Broadband Across Puerto Rico
- New Atlas Maps the 38 States Behind Every Conversation
- Atlanta Company Launches Free, Ad-Free, Nonpartisan Voter Planning App for All 50 States Ahead of the Nov. 3 Election
- Pastor Carlton L. Aiken Sr. Celebrates 55 Years with "Sermonic Selections"
- J. Wes Seeks Jazz Musicians, Vocalists and Bands for Philadelphia Live Music Event
- NECP Promotes Chertova to Senior Business Analyst
- Security Industry Veteran Anthony Rumore Launches AegisLead to Help Security Companies Find Business and Manage Growth
- Charlie Shaw and Patrick Carragher win SEO Agency of the Year 2026
- Canadian Woman Plants 1,667 Love Stories in a Field of Peonies That Could Bloom for 100 Years
- New Research Spotlight, Expanding TUSC2 Science & Strategic Development Milestones Put Gene Therapy Innovation into Focus for Genprex (NAS DAQ: GNPX)