For a couple in Australia, the new year started off with a goal much bigger than most. The couple plans to run a marathon every day this year.
That’s 365 marathons in 365 days if you need us to run the numbers for you.
Alan Murray and Janette Murray-Wakelin departed from Melbourne on New Year’s Day morning for the first of 365 marathons in 2024. The couple are grandparents in their 60s running to raise money for charities and awareness of healthy living. Their route, and further explanation of their mission, can be found on their site, Running Raw Around Australia.
Janette was diagnosed with breast cancer in her early 50s. She was told she had 6-12 weeks to live, according to a story at Yahoo News. Murray-Wakelin declined traditional treatment and began eating a raw diet to treat her cancer. The couple has eaten a raw diet ever since. In fact, Janette has a book due out this year called “Raw Can Cure Cancer.”
Many studies regarding raw diets contest that one will get maximum nutrients from uncooked vegetables, fruits, and plant proteins. Most studies show that vitamins, phytonutrients, and enzymes are destroyed once they reach temperatures around 120-130 degrees. If these studies are true, the Murray’s will be getting tremendous nutrients to fuel them on their 9631.25 mile journey this year.
Holly Perkins is a personal trainer, with a degree in exercise science and nutrition from Penn State, who shared some insight about the Murray’s lofty goals.
First this issue of their raw diet was considered. Perkins stated that “the jury is still out on raw diets,” and pointed out the studies that show how light cooking of certain foods actually brings out the nutrients. So, eating certain foods raw, would actually limit how many nutrients one could obtain. However, Perkins noted that eating raw may be what works for the Murrays and all athletes need to find a system that works for them.
If the couple is able to complete their goal, they will fall into a rare category of elite runners. Very few people can sustain this type of activity without more recovery time. The reports haven’t stated much about what pace the Murrays will be running, one can only assume it will be slow. However, the miles will still take their toll on their bodies. Most marathoners allow for nearly 6-8 weeks before they are considered recovered from a marathon; only running moderately during those weeks. So, is this activity even safe?
Perkins simply stated that it depends.
“The human body adapts,” she said. Meaning, if the Murrays trained properly and recovered properly, it’s reasonable to believe they can complete this goal. The emphasis being on proper training. Just as many will try to cut corners on normal race training, the body will most likely not tolerate it. Hopefully that’s not the case for the Murrays. While this feat is possible, Perkins said, “most can’t sustain that volume.”
She went on to state that if one is running through pain or injury, their chances of completing the goal will be slim. Hopefully Alan and Janette are of the body type that Perkins referred to – the rare body that has perfect alignment and rarely sees injury despite the usage.
It is inspiring to learn of this lofty goal and nothing but well wishes are being sent to the Murrays. Hopefully come New Years Day 2024, the couple is ready for another great adventure to encourage us all to live all our days as healthy as possible. Or a nice long soak in a hot tub!
Also Read:
The Dirty Side of Distance Running
Raw vs. Cooked: Are Raw Foods Really Healthier?
Holly Perkins’ Plate for National Nutrition Month
images via RunningRawAroundAustralia.com