NEWS FROM STEENBERGEN, NETHERLANDS 5/12/13 – blog by Calvin Lee

Jon Olsen ran 167.568 miles in 24 hours.

You thought a Marathon was long?

Modesto’s Jon Olsen won the International Association of Ultrarunners 24-Hour World championships.  Representing the USA, Mr. Olsen ran 167.568 miles taking the lead by 4 miles.  Reading reports of the race, the weather conditions were challenging which included rain and hail which pelted the runners throughout the night.  Individually Mr. Olsen won, and as a team, the men’s USA team won as well.  Each team was composed of six runners, and each team’s top three distances were combined for the team score.

He writes before the race:

As blessed as I am physically to run, I’m even more blessed with the amount of loving people that God has surrounded me with. All I can do is say thank you and represent Modesto and the Red White and Blue to the best of my ability. Thank you once again!

He writes after the race:

Sorry I haven’t posted anything but between the drug test, awards ceremony, the nap, shower, dinner, and packing for my flight that leaves early enough my alarm is going off at 6am…I have had little time. Let me quickly sum up the race and you can read about it in the Modesto Bee Tuesday.

It was hands down the toughest race of my life. I race a nearly perfect race.(that includes eating the right foods and putting on the correct clothing when the weather got bad) I ran all but ten yards in the middle of the race and two minutes to end the race. The crowds were amazingly supportive and I was treated like a rock star. It was a “Jon Olsen love fest” on steroids:) absolutely crazy! I want to thank everyone’s encouragement and support. You all own a piece of this victory…thank you! I’m heading to bed now:)

Doing the Math

We should be practicing some math, especially since Mr. Olsen is a math teacher.  He is a Math Teacher at Prescott Junior High School, in Modesto, CA.  Jon Olsen ran 167.568 miles based on a timing chip for his 24 hour race.  Calculations reveal:

• Average speed of 6.98 miles per hour for 24 hours
• Average pace of 8:35.6 min/mile for 24 hours

How does Jon Olsen’s measure up to American Records?

He now holds the second place American record behind Florida’s Mike Morton who ran 172.457 set in 2012.  Less than 5 miles away from Jon’s winning distance.

Other Ultramarathon records

You can see a list of ultramarathon record accomplishments around the world and Jon Olsen is listed on there more than once.

• Link to Ultramarathon records

Top Results of the Other Competitors at this Race

Men
1. Jon Olsen, 38, Modesto, CA, 167.568 miles
2. John Dennis, 32, Takoma Park, MD, 163.255
3. Florian Reus, 29, DEU, 161.518
4. Anatoly Kruglicov, 55, RUS, 159.717
5. Timur Ponomarev, 24, RUS, 159.484

Women
1. Mami Kudo, 49, JPN, 156.712 miles
2. Sabrina Little, 26, Waco, TX, 152.030 (American Record, old record 149.368 miles by Connie Gardner, 2012)
3. Suzanna Bon, 48, Sonoma, CA, 146.785
4. Traci Falbo, 40, Charlestown, IN, 142.730
5. Anne-Marie Vernet, 45, FRA, 142.538

We’re honored to know Jon Olsen,
once again proving excellence from Modesto, CA

He has won the Surgical Artistry Modesto Marathon twice, and is a coach for the Teens Run Modesto program.  And we’re certainly proud to have Jon Olsen in Modesto.  He’s a great role model for all of us, in our quest for hard work and excellence.  He is also proof to us that anything can be done at the highest level in Modesto.  This means a lot to us as we set out to continue our excellence in plastic surgery and acupuncture.  He’s one of the great things about Modesto.