Running Examiner: What was one of the things that helped get you through the Run Across America?
Dean Karnazes: I drank Joint Juice pretty religiously throughout the trip. I really do believe in a couple of supplements, one being glucosamine. It's one of the few supplements that has been clinically documented to help with joint health because so many people complain about their joints.
Running Examiner: You've done more than any other ultrarunner in terms of promoting the sport. I think most people would assume that you're a media hound or an extrovert, but you're not. You actually prefer running alone.
Dean Karnazes: It's interesting that you bring that up because I think they feed off of each other. The more I get immersed in the world of media and promotion, the more I enjoy solitude. At first it was kind of conflicted like, "Gosh I hate this and I don't feel good in my own skin here."
I've shifted my paradigm and realize that media is the only way to reach people in significant numbers. There's always backlash to anything. And I love criticism. Criticism helps me grow as a person and some of the criticism is true. There are areas where I need improvement. Just ask my wife (he laughs). But some of it is kind of misdirected.
Some people say, "Oh he's just in it for the money." Have you looked at my bank account? Most of the stuff is a labor of love. I fund a lot of it on my own.
Running Examiner: Do you have any new challenges in the works?
Dean Karnazes: I'm putting together a global expedition to run one marathon in every country of the world. I'm going to start in Sydney in November of 2012 and finish at the New York City Marathon in November of 2013. I hope to do a global expedition and hit every single country. There's 204 of them right now, circumnavigating the globe.
You can read more about Karnazes in his latest book, Run!: 26.2 Stories of Blisters and Bliss.
Sign up for your next race.Running Examiner Kimberly Bogin is a three-time Emmy Award-winning television producer and writer.
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