DOWNTOWN — Starting and finishing in Chicago, Steve Cannon always believed he could run around Lake Michigan.

Over 40 days, averaging about a marathon a day, the Iowa native ran 1,037 miles, burning through six pairs of shoes and countless calories. His epic one-man achievement — completed from May 28-July 5, 2012 — began and concluded at Harry Caray's Downtown.

"The one thing that was always the same was people asked me, 'What the heck are you doing?' " said Cannon, who recently released a book about his experiences. "But I never entertained the thought of quitting."

Cannon, who became the first person to trot around Lake Michigan, chose Harry Caray's as his start and finish line because the 49-year-old is a lifelong Cubs fan. He ran clockwise around the lake, beginning his voyage by ambling up the Lakefront Path through Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Uptown, Edgewater and Rogers Park before hitting residential streets.

Throughout his journey, he tried to stay as close to the lake as possible. That included his last few miles through the East and South sides of Chicago as Cannon again ran the Lakefront Path before celebrating at Harry Caray's.

Cannon has finished the Chicago Marathon 10 times and said "there's no better way of getting the flavor of the city than running through it."

"You realize there are really, really good people in Chicago," he said.

Jenn Gibbons, who rowed around Lake Michigan in 2012 — starting her trip just after Cannon's — eventually became friends with him. She said Cannon "He kept me motivated and inspired and still does today."

"He's a phenomenal person who I admire and respect. I hope that someday we'll go on another adventure together," she said.

Cannon, who raised more than $32,000 for cancer research for the run around Lake Michigan, also has jogged across Iowa. He turns 50 on May 7 and is planning an even longer run in the coming years.

"Once you start down this road, no pun intended, it snowballs," Cannon said. "You continue to do something bigger; you can't go the other way."

For more information on Cannon's book — "40 DAYS: Life, Love, Loss and A Historic Run Around One of the World's Largest Lakes" — click here.

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