Ultra marathon man Dean Karnazes returns to Milwaukee

Dean Karnazes, who inspired thousands to run long – very long – with his exploits and writing, will lead a couple 5K runs in Milwaukee on Wednesday as a promotion for the North Face Endurance Challenge.

The author of “Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner” and Batwater veteran will start his day at the Milwaukee War Memorial with the November Project – Milwaukee, an exercise flash mob that meets weekly at the statue of Lincoln. The 5K starts at 6:26 a.m. and will be followed by a one-hour autograph session and run chat.

Karnazes once stacked 50 marathons in 50 days, so a double-header of 5Ks is well within his training program. The second run starts at 6:30 p.m. at the North Face Milwaukee store, 95 N. Moorland Rd., in Brookfield.

Two years ago, I joined Karnazes for a similar outing in Brookfield.

Dean Karnazes on the run in Brookfield. Photo by Tom Held

Despite a hectic travel schedule, he jogged along with a huge smile, a deep tan, an impressive physique, sincerity and genuine caring.

“Inspiration is a two-way street,” he said, after the line for autographs had cleared. “I get inspired meeting such great people. They’re not groupies, they’re good, authentic people I would like to hang out with anyway.”