"Going Long..." Interview from runtheultras.com

A little over one week away from the start of the 200-mile race in Vermont. Snow fell in the mountains last night and continues to fall today. This race is going to be an epic experience. There are now 15 competitors that will be toeing the line at 6 PM Eastern May 6 in Pittsfield, VT.

We now have a 9 person crew coming to VT. We plan on posting updates via Twitter during the race if you are interested. You can follow along through the link at the top of the right side of the blog or via http://twitter.com/dexterpunisher

One of the guys from my crew (Travis Liles) interviewed me last week regarding the upcoming race. If you are interested you can check it out here: http://runtheultras.com/

Regarding our fundraising goal for the Free Wheelchair Mission, to date together we have raised enough funds to donate nearly 70 wheelchairs ($4,126.40). That's 70 lives that have changed because of your generosity. Thank you!

As I stated in the interview with Travis, we may not hit the 200 wheelchair goal by next week but we will hit the goal of running 200 miles through the Green Mountains of Vermont next week.

Why "The Punisher"? - Endurance Planet Interview (Lisa Smith-Batchen, Sam Thompson, and Ryan Dexter)

On Monday, Kevin Patrick from Endurance Planet interviewed me for part of the "Endurance Planet Hour" along with Sam Thompson and Lisa Smith-Batchen.

Sam was the first to run 50 marathons (actually 51) in 50 states in 50 days. Sam did this to help raise funds for Katrina relief.

Lisa has done and just started another amazing feat (50 miles in 50 states). She is running to raise funds for orphaned children.

You can listen online or download it at: www.enduranceplanet.com/the-endurance-planet-hour-11

From http://www.enduranceplanet.com/: "This week's Endurance Planet Hour focuses on 3 unsung heroes of the endurance sports world. Who are these heroes? Well, there's "Dexter the Punisher" aka Ryan Dexter. There's "Sam the Unseen" aka Sam Thompson. And there's "The Amazing Lisa" aka Lisa Smith-Batchen. Superheroes? I'll leave that up to you to decide. But, without question, they are people who are quietly achieving great things."

I am completely humbled to be a part of the stories from these "heroes".

McNaughton Park in Vermont 200 Mile Trail Run is only 2 weeks away! (www.peakraces.com/mcnaughton).

If you have wondered why the nickname "The Punisher" - you will have to listen to find out.

56 Wheelchairs Have Been Donated So Far ($3,316.80 Raised to Date for the 200 Miles for 200 Wheelchairs Fundraiser)

Help me reach the goal of 200 Wheelchairs through the Free Wheelchair Mission before the start of the McNaughton Park in Vermont 200 Mile Run on May 6, 2010.

3 Ways to donate:

1) You can donate securely online at: http://fwm.kintera.org/dexterthepunisher

2) You can click here to print out a donation form and mail it along with a check payable to Free Wheelchair Mission to:

Free Wheelchair Mission
P.O. Box 513538
Los Angeles, CA 90051-3538 or Fax to: 949-273-8471

3) Call and donate over the phone: 949-273-8470 (Monday thru Friday: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. PST)

Please make sure you include the following if using options 2) or 3) so your donation can count toward our 200 wheelchair goal:

Event ID#: 249777
Event Name: Ambassadors for Mobility (200 Miles - 200 Wheelchairs)
Name: RYAN DEXTER
Participant ID#: 285865496

163.80 Training Miles for Week (April 4 - April 10)

Last week was my biggest training mileage week ever with 163.60 miles (previous best was 129.60 in 2008). The week's mileage was capped off on Saturday with a peak run of 62.78 miles during the Madcity 100K National Championships in Madison, WI.
My friend Travis Liles (who will be part of my crew in Vermont during next month's race) drove up to visit with me a run the 50K. Travis ended up finishing 4th with the last 4 10Ks run in negative splits.

I had the pleasure of meeting and running (at least a little while) with an ultrarunning legend - Annette Bednosky. Annette ended up finishing 2nd woman and ran the first marathon in around 3:15 and keep going! I realized right around the marathon mark that I would not be able to maintain and still be able to run this week. Ended up with a 9:15 min/mile pace for the 62 miles.

I have averaged 105.35 miles/week for the last 9 weeks. We will be ready for Vermont in a little over three weeks!

I am humbled by the generosity towards the Free Wheel Chair Mission fundraiser that we are trying to do in conjunction with the McNaughton Park 200 Mile Trail Run May 6 in Vermont (http://fwm.kintera.org/dexterthepunisher).

Our goal is 200 Wheelchairs for the 200 Miles. So far we have raised enough money to donate over 25 wheelchairs to the mission ($1,839.80). Thank you so much! Please help me spread the word on this - it is a great cause and much needed in developing countries. It is sad to think that people are having to crawl around on their hands or wait around for people to carry them everywhere when a wheelchair is available for around $60. Please help me change people's lives!

200 Mile Run for 200 Wheelchairs Fundraiser

Many of you may already know this, but I’m upping the stakes and running for a reason on May 6, 2010 and I want to let you in on it - a 200 mile trail run through the Green Mountains of Vermont at a race called McNaughton Park in Vermont: http://www.peakraces.com/mcnaughton. I’ve been preparing for this adventure for years – now, it’s even more important to me to get the word out.



So here’s how I became an Ambassador for Free Wheelchair Mission – I’d been thinking about my race and how I could make it into something that would help others. My church (http://www.blackhawkchurch.org) did an offering this Christmas for a charity that sends wheelchairs to people with disabilities living in developing countries. At the time, I didn’t think much about wheelchairs, or how hard it would be to survive without one. It all made sense to me, I put the two together, and now I’m part of the FWM team.

I’ll have a great crew helping me out this May, but the 200 miles we are attempting to run pales in comparison to what many people have to do each and every day of their lives. We’re going to suffer for what, maybe 48 hours? Put that up against a lifetime of pain - there is really no comparison.


Now, this is a race and we are in it to win it, but I am bolder than ever knowing that I’ll be running while raising money for Free Wheelchair Mission. My goal is to WIN, and to raise enough funds for a wheelchair for every mile we are running! That’s 200 miles to run and 200 wheelchairs to raise. I definitely think we can do it. Please help me make a difference, not just in Vermont, but in lives around the world.

Thank you for your consideration. You can donate securely online at: http://fwm.kintera.org/dexterthepunisher

100.27 Training Miles for Week (3/28 - 4/3)

We are exactly one month away from the McNaughton Park in Vermont 200 mile race (http://www.peakraces.com/mcnaughton). As of today, there are officially 16 runners signed up for the 30 mile event, 34 runners signed up for the 100 mile event, 5 runners signed up for the 150 mile event, and 12 runners signed up for the 200 mile event.

This was a recovery week for me with a peak daily mileage of 18.32 miles. Have averaged 98.04 miles/week for the last 9 weeks and 12.25 miles/day through 2010 thus far. Ran 481.92 miles in March.

This week's photo is from the 2002 FoxCities Marathon. I was one of "those people" that would carry their kids across the finish line. That is my oldest son Chase who is now 8 years old!