Scott Searle runs up and down the streets of Davenport, Iowa, every day. And every day he runs, he holds a bouncing a piece of plastic on a string.

Two years ago, Searle, now 40, was having a tough time getting out the door. He’s fought tougher battles in life, but for some reason going running this day was the last thing he wanted to do. Still, he pushed himself. He decided to open his door and when he did, he saw a yo-yo.

Instinctively, he picked it up. And ran with it, literally.

​

Above, Guinness provided on-site verification for several obscure marathon record attempts at the 2017 Los Angeles Marathon.

“People started honking and I’d see kids in the back seat of cars with their mouths wide open and smiling,” Searle told Runner’s World on the phone. “So now I’m on my third season running with the yo yo and I use one hand to yo yo and one hand to wave.”

Searle has become a celebrity in the Quad Cities area. Referred to as “yo yo man,” he takes his running very seriously. He says he owes that to running because it saved his life.

For a month starting in October 2008, Searle, who was without a driver's license because of multiple D.U.I. violations, had been going to the YMCA in Davenport, Iowa. But it was not to exercise. His parents would drop him off there so he would workout, like he told them he would, but Searle would walk in, put his clothes in a locker, and walk out the back door to head to a nearby bar.

RW IN YOUR INBOX: Have the latest news, advice, and inspiration sent to you every day with ourRunner’s World Newsletters.

Searle was an alcoholic. He had been for 10 years. What started as a way to socialize and overcome anxiety and depression when he was 18 turned into not going a day without a drink for a little more than a decade.

“I was drinking 30 beers a day,” Searle said. “I had comas, seizures, I did jail time. I’d wake up and I was like, ‘Wow, I’m thirsty.’ It was bad.”

Then November 2008 came. Searle was dropped off at the Y as usual, but that day, he decided that if he’s there, he might as well workout. He hopped on the elliptical machine and his parents picked him up before he was able to get to a bar. When he got home, he was still sober.

“It was incredible because that hadn’t happened in 10 years,” Searle said. “The woke up the next morning and went back to the Y and all of a sudden I was sober for two days and then three days.”

Then a week, and then a month. Instead of hitting the bottle, but it still took time to get into shape. At a certain point he decided to try running, though it was a challenge at first.

“Some ladies at the gym asked me to do the local turkey trot and I couldn't run for more than 30 seconds,” Searle said. “So I would do the 30 seconds and then walk for three minutes. That just got me going.”

From treadmill, Searle moved to the road. That first turkey trot progressed to a half marathon in spring 2009. That September, he completed his first marathon.

For six years Searle ran and then he found the yo yo. This turned Searle’s career upside down. The yo yo isn’t just some trick for attention (though he does tricks like around the world, walking the dog, and the tick-tock while he runs). For him, the yo yo keeps him responsible.

ALSO:

“People constantly see me running and it keeps me accountable to stay sober, to move forward, and keep running,” Searle said.

Now 8 years sober, Searle’s moved on to ultramarathons and even manages a small charity for the homeless. He’s done a 50 mile race and completed a 100-mile Turkey Trot from Milwaukee to Chicago last November with the Chicago Flatlanders. He’s aiming for a 150-miler soon.

Until then, you can see him running his daily 13 to 18 miles up and down the streets of Davenport, yo yo in hand.

“Running saved my life and it can help other people,” Searle said. “I used to wake up and be like, 'Today would be a good day to drink.’ Now, the first thing I do most days is lace up my shoes and go running. I just started running and it took on a life of itself, a much better life for me.”

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io