This Man's Condition Means He Can Run 350 Miles Without A Break

53-year-old Dean Karnazes has a genetic condition that means that he doesn't get cramps, muscle burn or hyperventilating when he runs.

He even managed to sprint 350 miles in 80 hours and 44 minutes - without any rest.

His condition basically means that his body has the ability to rapidly flush lactic acid from his system. As you probably know, lactic acid is that pesky stuff that makes you hurt after you've been to the gym or, you know, walked up the stairs too quickly.

The Guardian reported that he can go 'a long way without tiring' which is how he managed to run for three days consecutively.

He said: "No matter how hard I push, my muscles never seize up. That's kind of a nice thing if I plan to run a long way."

But his body has to give up on the running at some point, that's the whole point of lactic acid - it's your signal of when to stop. So what happens to Dean?

He continued: "To be honest, what eventually happens is that I get sleepy.

"I've run through three nights without sleep and the third night of sleepless running was a bit psychotic. I actually experienced bouts of 'sleep running', where I was falling asleep while in motion, and I just willed myself to keep going."

He first realised that he was different to everyone else back in 2006 when he was preparing to run 50 marathons in as many days.

"I was sent to a testing center in Colorado. First, they performed an aerobic capacity test in which they found my results consistent with those of other highly trained athletes, but nothing extraordinary.

"Next, they performed a lactate threshold test. They said the test would take 15 minutes, tops. Finally, after an hour, they stopped the test. They said they'd never seen anything like this before."

Now, he runs the equivalent of a marathon every day before breakfast. Well, you would wouldn't you? He's effectively got a superpower. It'd be a shame to waste it.

Words by Mel Ramsay

Featured image credit: Getty

Topics: Condition

Mel Ramsay

Mel Ramsay has been a Senior Journalist for Tyla and LADbible since 2015. She started her career writing obituaries and funeral guides online. Since then, her work has been published in a wide variety of national and local news sites. She is part of the BBC's Generation project and has spoken about young people, politics and mental health on television, radio and online. Contact her - [email protected]

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