Would You Run A Marathon On A Dare?
- By Duncan Larkin
- Published Aug. 9, 2011
- Updated Aug. 9, 2011 at 9:02 AM UTC
On a dare made in a bar, Joe Vanden Avond completed a marathon with no training whatsoever. Photo: Globe and Mail
One man did just that.
Some runners complete marathons for charity or to see how far they can push themselves. One man completed a marathon because someone dared him to do it.
With no training whatsoever, Joe Vanden Avond, a 21-year-old student from the University of Wisconsin, completed the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon last May. The feat was part of a bar-room dare. Vanden Avond was offered a bottle of vodka and a bottle of Kahula if crossed the finish line.
In an interview with The Globe and Mail Web site, Vanden Avond stated his derision to running.
“I just loathe running,” he admitted. “I guess playing basketball or football or whatever it is, I feel like there’s a competitive edge to it. I don’t feel like I could ever be a good enough runner to be a competitive marathon runner.”
Vanden Avond went on to note that he had planned on “winging it”.
His training? A 2-mile Turkey Trot race six months before the marathon.
For More: Globe and Mail
FILED UNDER: News TAGS: bar / Cellcom Green Bay Marathon / dare / little training / Marathon / marathon completion / marathon dare / Marathon Training / University of Wisconsin / vodka
Duncan Larkin
Duncan Larkin is the news editor at Competitor.com and a freelance journalist who’s been covering the sport of running for over five years. He’s run 2:32 in the marathon and won the Himalayan 100-Mile Stage Race in 2007. His first running book, RUN SIMPLE, was released last July.