Mark Covert owns the world’s second-longest daily running streak. His streak will reach 45 years--16,436 days in a row, running at least 1 mile per day--on Tuesday, July 23. And then it will end; Covert won’t run on Wednesday.

There are no official records for streak running, but England’s Ron Hill has maintained a streak since December, 1964. Covert’s streak is acknowledged by the United States Running Streak Association.

Covert has kept scrupulous records to document his running streak, which will include 149,653 miles by the end of Tuesday. In the early 1970s, he ran more than 6,000 miles a year, and recorded a marathon best of 2:22:35. The longtime coach at Antelope Valley College in Lancaster, California, has been hobbled by a foot defect in recent years, and has transitioned to endurance bicycle riding as his primary exercise. Below, he answers questions about his famous running streak.

A running streak can be like a best friend. Does this feel like a death in the family?

Mark Covert: I’m trying not to look at it that way. Tuesday will be the end of my streak, but I’m sure there will be days ahead when I pull on my running shoes and go out for a workout. It’s just that most of the days, I’ll be pulling on my bike shoes, and getting my workout on the bike.

The last six or seven months I’ve been hobbling so bad because of my foot issue that I can’t call it training. I’m running 12:00 [per mile] pace on a good day, and barely get my heart rate above 80. The bike has allowed me to go hard again, and that’s something I’ve always loved.

The way I’m looking at the end of my streak is that it’s like an old friend, and we’re parting ways. It’s time for him to go in one direction, and me in another, but we’re still good friends. And it was great having this friendship we had all through the years. We had a lot of wonderful times and experiences together.

What’s the foot issue? Did all your running cause it or make it worse?

MC: It’s called midfoot collapse, which is basically an incredibly flat foot. I was born with it, and always had problems, but was lucky enough to have a great running podiatrist, Dr. John Pagliano, who fashioned some truly bizarre devices to keep me going.

It’s actually a miracle that I didn’t have much bigger problems earlier in my career when I was doing high miles. Most of the doctors I’ve seen have said that others with a foot like mine are already in a wheelchair or walker. The running actually gave me a little more strength and flexibility and joint movement. Running didn’t cause my foot condition; it was always there and it was always going to get me at some point. I’ll probably need surgery in a year or two.

Many people admire your streak, but you must also encounter some people who call you a crazy running addict. What do you say to them?

MC: I say, fine, think whatever you want to think. But you don’t know me, and you might be someone who’s never made a commitment to anything. I don’t try to change anybody’s opinion about my streak, because I know I can’t.

Do you remember the first day of the streak 45 years ago?

MC: Sure. I was 17 and my family had just returned from a vacation. That afternoon, I went out for a 15-miler. The next 13 days, I ran 15 in the morning and 15 in the afternoon. You have to remember, this was a different era. All the great runners I read about--Ron Hill and Derek Clayton and David Bedford and guys like that--were doing big miles. I thought if I did a lot of miles, I could be competitive. I never saw myself as one of the best, since I never thought I had a lot of talent, but I figured I could maybe be up there near the front of the pack.

The first years of high mileage I got a good payoff. In college, I started beating guys who had been beating me in high school races just six months earlier. At some point when you’re doing a lot of miles, you begin to feel almost invincible. You think, “I’m handling 140 [a week] pretty good, I wonder how I’d do on 170.” There was basically no one around to tell us not to try it at the time. Those were the early days of the running boom when we were all experimenting to see what would work best.

What was the best and worst thing about your streak?

MC: The best was that I got to do something I loved every day. I never thought, “I have to get in my run today.” I always believed, “I’m so lucky to be able to run today.” I never expected it, but in the last few months, since I announced that I was going to end the streak on July 23, I’ve heard from so many people who were inspired or affected in one way or another by my streak. That has been humbling, but it feels great when you get to share your belief in an active, fit lifestyle with other people.

There hasn’t been much negative, just a few challenges along the way like running the day after getting your knee scoped or with kidney stones. In recent months, I’ve been hobbled so much by the foot that it has gotten to the “what’s the point?” stage. On the bike, I can get out there and train hard enough to aim for what I always wanted with running: to be a little be stronger and fitter today than I was yesterday.

Did stretching, strength training, or diet contribute to your running streak?

MC: Again, I came from that era where almost no one talked about stretching and only a few guys did regular strength training. I’ve done a little of both through the years, but not a lot. We believed it was all about miles, and that’s where we put our time and energy.

I’m probably about 25 pounds heavier than I was in the 1970s. The problem is that I still like to eat like a 140-mile-a-week runner. It’s a never-ending battle. I tell people that I lose 150 pounds a year--the same 5 pounds 30 times. My wife cooks great, healthy meals. I eat way better than I did in the old days. But I’m just not very good at portion control.

What do you say when someone asks if they should start a running streak?

MC: Don’t do it. I get asked quite often, mostly by new runners and by runners on my college teams. Listen, I realize there are better ways to deal with sickness and injury than running every day. I know there were times in my career when I would have bounced back faster if I had taken several days off, probably even a week. As a coach, I understand the benefits of days off, and that’s what I encourage my kids to do when they need it, to take a day off every once in a while.

That said, there are some individuals for whom a daily running streak has an important impact on them every day. They feel better, they’re more productive, they have a better outlook on life. If it works for you, why not?

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