Kids today. It's not enough that they run a marathon while in 4th grade. No, they have to go and run one in Antarctica, which is what 9-year-old Nikolas Toocheck plans to do on February 25 at the White Continent Marathon, as part of his quest to run a marathon on every continent.

Pennsylvania resident Toocheck is doing his marathoning tour of the seven continents to raise money for Operation Warm, a nonprofit founded by his grandfather that provides new winter coats to American children in need. Toocheck wants to raise $1 million, which he says will average a dollar a step for how many foot strikes he'll take to run the seven marathons.

Toocheck got the logistically easy North American marathon crossed off his list in December, when he ran 5:56 at the Forttude for First Descents Marathon in Lewes, Delaware.

Toocheck's parents told FoxPhilly that their son has received cardiac and other tests to ensure his underlying health. And no worries that he's monomaniacal about marathoning, as he competed in a triathlon, race walk, high jump, and shot put (!) at last year's AAU national indoor championships (scroll down).

Our biggest concern with Toocheck is that he's neglecting his math homework. If, as he says, he'll take a million steps to complete his seven marathons, that comes out to 5,452 steps per mile. In his December marathon, he averaged 13:11 per mile. Toocheck would need to average 414 steps per minute at that pace to tally 1 million over seven marathons. We realize he has short legs, but still.

Scott Douglas Scott is a veteran running, fitness, and health journalist who has held senior editorial positions at Runner’s World and Running Times.

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