Len Demoss (run50) : Member Profile : Thoos

Whew...where to start! I got started running when I was going through my divorce in 1978. Have run 177 marathons and countless 50K, 50 mile and 100 mile since that time. 5K PR of 16:47, 10K PR of 37:35, 1/2 marathon PR of 1:25:03 and marathon PR of 3:03:09. In 1993, I had to have knee surgery for meniscus tear and when they got into the knee they discovered severe chondromalacia (wearing of cartiledge under kneecap) and subsequently the area was shaved. It took me 2 years to get back to running (against the advice of the orthopod). I had been doing some ultras prior to the knee problem, but decided to stop running marathons and do slow trail ultras instead and that's about all I've done since 93, just ultras and mostly on the trail. I have however, done the Comrades Marathon (largest ultra in world, 90K with 11 hr. cutoff) 3 times in South Africa and the Two Oceans Marathon (second largest ultra in world, 56K with 6 hr. cutoff) in Capetown South Africa once. Both runs are road races. I've also run 3 times in Peru on the ancient Inca Trail to Machu Pichu as well as in the Patagonia in Chile and Argentina in 5 national parks. I love adventure running mixed with international travel. I have three sons all grown whom I am very close to and am single since 1978 and still looking! I also love hiking, camping, snowshoeing, and road and mountain biking. I've been retired from Ford Motor Company as an engineering manager since April, 2002.