Pathology of Compulsion

He explains that he has set for himself a rigorous test, one that he hopes he has the mental stamina, let alone the physical energy to complete. Believing passionately (he would have to) in the benefits of exercise for the human body at a time when most people remain sedately sedentary by choice, he has set a Guinness-records task for himself to complete.

Most people don't run marathons, but well-trained athletes often do. People who work out and who tune and tone their bodies enjoy the challenge of running marathons. These people do not represent the vast bulk of any population. People train and prepare themselves to run in marathons not necessarily to win, but to contend, to be one of the many who slog along to the finish line. Once, twice, three times a year?

Belgian endurance athlete, Stefaan Engels is rather extraordinary in demanding more, far more from his body. He made a pact with himself that he could and that he would run a marathon a day. Reasoning that he was strong, and healthy, and determined and what could he lose? "I eat, I run, I sleep. I have a very small social life."

Canada once had one such man, and his name was Terry Fox, and he ran with one normal leg and one prosthetic, and he managed to stubbornly, resolutely, despite enduring pain, to run the equivalent of a full marathon a day for the 143 days it took him on his journey, until the return of his cancer stopped him from completing his mission.

Terry Fox, of course, embarked on his mission to inform Canadians of the horrible effects of cancer, and to raise funds for cancer research, bravely carrying on, determined to complete his daunting task as a public service, and with pride in himself. He not only raised an enormous sum for research, but he inspired people, and continues to do so to this day.

Stefaan Engels, who has run marathons in his Ghent hometown, in Germany, Spain and the Netherlands, has extended himself to run in North America. He plans to do several marathons in Montreal, then hie off to Mexico, and from there to the United States. He plans to complete his personal mission, and hopes that he too will inspire people. To exercise themselves.

So far he has managed to run 207 marathons in as many days. If he proves capable of enduring this unendurable test of endurance and strength and mind over body, he plans to run a full year, to complete 365 marathons, one for each day of the year. He did have an issue once with an inflamed foot, and used a wheelchair to 'run' until he healed.

The first two hours of each day he experiences pain (one might also imagine weariness, although he claims to sleep ten hours each 24-hour period), and the first 30 minutes of his daily run is also painful, and then it subsides. Self-inflicted pain, for the greater gain of accomplishing his self-appointed task.

I dunno!?