30 Karl Gruber - 52 Marathons in 52 Weeks

  How many of you have ever met a hero of yours, or someone who has really influenced your life? How many of you are actually friends with that person?  Karl Gruber has been a presence in my life for the last 25 years. In 1996-1997, he took off from his job in radio and successfully ran 52 Marathons in 52 Weeks to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. At the time, he was the 9th person in the world to accomplish this feat and, while many records and streaks have been broken since then, what makes his accomplishment so noteworthy is that he did this BEFORE THE INTERNET! There was no Google, no race sites, no on-line donation sources, or listings of marathons. He literally picked up the phone for hours at a time and called Race Directors asking for entries, hotels and any help they could give him during his journey. He faxed (yes, faxed) press releases to media outlets soliciting publicity and interviews. It was truly a labor of love that paid off in donations to the charity.  He was (and is) an inspiration to me and is literally the reason I started running in my early 20s.  Karl still sheds light and positivity in this world as a Law of Attraction Life Coach, Race Announcer, and Running Coach. You'll love our stories and memories in this special episode of "I Could Never Do That." Karl Gruber Website Karl Gruber Life Coach Facebook Page Brewery District Running Club   Theme Music: "Aitech" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/