The Jason Lester Story

A month or so ago, I was running on a treadmill at my local gym—Palm Beach Sports Club in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida—when all of a sudden I heard an outburst of cheering and applause coming from the northeast corner of the gym. Assuming it was merely some local promotion, I didn't think much about—nor did I pay any attention to—the hullaballoo.

The next day, however, I discovered what all the fuss was about. It turned out that Jason P. Lester, a world-famous ultra-marathoner, was attempting something special right there at my local gym.

His GOAL: to break a world record for number of miles run on a treadmill in one week. To achieve his goal, he planned to run 77 miles for 7 straight days. If he was successful, he would log 539 miles, breaking Jamie McDonald's record of 524 miles set in 2019.

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Lester's personal history is inspiring, to say the very least. It is a story that, in 2010, inspired the publication of a full-length book, entitled: Running on Faith: The Principles, Passion, and Pursuit of a Winning Life. 

Some of the key details of his story include the following...

While riding his bike at age 12, Jason was hit by a car traveling 70 miles per hour as it illegally sped through a red light. Jason broke over 20 different bones and sustained a collapsed lung in the terrible accident. Worse still, his right arm was left mostly paralyzed.  

If that wasn't enough adversity to deal with, Jason's Dad—and only remaining parent—had a heart attack and died while Jason was still in the hospital recovering from his own accident. It was against this tragic backdrop that Jason began his inspiring ascent into ultra-distance athletics.

From the time he was just a boy, Jason had loved a variety of different sports. But over time, he discovered that his true love was ultra-distance racing, including competing in Ironman Triathlons and ultra-triathlons.

To date, some of Jason's most impressive athletic accomplishments include: 

• Only person to ever run the full length of the Great Wall of China (2,600 miles) in a single attempt. It took him 83 days to complete the hilly and challenging distance.
• Ran across the United States (3,550 miles) in 72 days, making him the 4th fastest person to ever run from San Francisco to New York.
• Completed five full-Ironman triathlons on five different Hawaiian Islands on five consecutive days.
• ESPN ESPY Award Recipient (2009) for Best Male Athlete with a Disability      

Smiling as he runs, and giving me
a "thumbs-up" as I take his picture

Jason began his treadmill world record attempt at 11:11 a.m. on Monday morning. The first time I saw him was on Tuesday morning, about 23 hours later. He was asleep on an air mattress right in front of his treadmill. For seven straight days, Jason never left the gym. All of his rest, nutrition, and hygiene took place within its walls. His support team was there 24/7 to help him with whatever he needed along the way.

The following day, Wednesday, Jason was up and running during my morning workout. And so he continued—resting and refueling as necessary, but otherwise grinding out mile-after-mile with the same grit and determination that had led to his other ambitious athletic exploits.

The following Monday, Jason was up and at it for a seventh straight day. As 11:11 ticked by on the clock, he ran the final stretch of his epic, week-long journey. I was present when he completed his run, and smiled as he smiled and hugged the monitor on his treadmill before stepping off to a chorus of well-deserved cheers, applause, and his first extended rest in over a week.

Click HERE to view a VIDEO below to capture this climactic moment in Jason Lester's remarkable run.  

In the end, Jason did not quite break Jamie McDonald's world record. But in the process, he did log nearly 420 miles! That's 60 miles per day! Imagine... running two-and-one-half marathons every single day for seven straight days: that is precisely what Jason Lester accomplished in his world record attempt at my local gym in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

Jason's epic treadmill run is over, but his legacy
remains at Palm Beach Sports Club
in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

As a general rule, we at Freedom Focused discourage and eschew extremes of any kind. And in truth, trying to break a world record for treadmill miles run in a week would not be our recommendation for most people, including myself! However, there are typically exceptions to every rule in the realms of Self-Action Leadership and life (see SAL Theory Corollary 1.2). As such, we find people like Jason Lester to be inspiring examples of overcoming adversity and setting one's sights high for personal and professional achievement. His unusual and extraordinary example of hard work, persistence, and endurance is something that each of us can learn from and be inspired by. 

In what ways might you work a little harder, persist a little longer, endure a little more, or "Never Stop" in your own life and career? I invite you to consider these questions and thereby allow Jason Lester's example to positively and productively inform your own performances moving forward.  

  

-Dr. JJ

May 19, 2021

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA

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