Dean KarnazesDean Karnazes

Dean Karnazes

Internationally recognized endurance athlete and NY Times bestselling author.

TIME magazine named Dean Karnazes as one of the “Top 100 Most Influential People in the World.” Men’s Fitness hailed him as one of the fittest men on the planet. An internationally recognized endurance athlete and NY Times bestselling author, Dean has pushed his body and mind to inconceivable limits. Among his many accomplishments, he has run 350 continuous miles, foregoing sleep for three nights. He’s run across Death Valley in 120 degree temperatures, and he’s run a marathon to the South Pole in negative 40 degrees. On ten different occasions, he’s run a 200-mile relay race solo, racing alongside teams of twelve.

His most recent endeavor was running 50 marathons, in all 50 US states, in 50 consecutive days, finishing with the NYC Marathon, which he ran in three hours flat.

Author Website

Philosopher's Notes on Dean Karnazes's Books

The Road to Sparta
LockedPhilosopher's Notes

The Road to Sparta

by Dean Karnazes

Do you know why we call our modern marathon a marathon? You may think you know the real story behind the very first marathon, but in this captivating, inspiring tale, Dean Karnazes (named by Men’s Health as one of the 100 Fittest Men of All Time) gives us a deeper look at the man who, 2,500 years ago, ran the first ULTRAmarathon and, in doing so, effectively saved Western civilization. :) Big Ideas we explore: a history lesson The Battle of Marathon, why balance doesn’t lead to happiness (and what does), a 24 Hour Fitness with Harvard profs, heroes are ready and how to play the pain game.

Quotes by Dean Karnazes

Quote
The Latin prefix ultra means ‘beyond.’ For instance, the term ultraviolet means light rays beyond violet. Ultrasonic means sound frequencies beyond sonic. It follows, then, that the term ultramarathon means a distance beyond a marathon.
Dean Karnazes
Quote
It had been a long day, and it was sure to be a longer night. But these are the moments I lived for. Life is at its most extraordinary during the struggle, not during times of idle contentment, and this was sure to be an epic contest.
Dean Karnazes
Quote
Somewhere along humanity’s cultural progression we seem to have confused comfort with contentment, but I now realized that contentment doesn’t come from comfort; contentment comes from living through great discomfort.
Dean Karnazes
Quote
Listen to your heart, Benner counseled. If the heart grows weary and uninspired, stop. If the heart remains impassioned and burning with desire, go. It was a simple philosophy, one that made sense to me. My heart was ablaze, so I went with it.
Dean Karnazes
Quote
I never looked back. We can either follow rules or follow dreams, and I went with the latter.
Dean Karnazes
Quote
The secret of happiness is freedom, and the secret of freedom is courage.
Dean Karnazes
Become a Heroic Member