MSU Grad Runs Two Marathons, Wins One

[cgarrigues]

Michael Wardian tried to do the unthinkable Sunday - win his second marathon in two days - and he came close to pulling it off.

Wardian, 33, of Arlington, Va., won the National Marathon in Washington, D.C., on Saturday and led much of the race Sunday in the fourth annual Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon. . .

Wardian played lacrosse at Michigan State but wasn't a distance runner. He finished second in the inaugural Knoxville Marathon and was second last year despite running with the flu.

Knoxville News Sentinel Article here

[KnoxVegas]

That is huge. I work a lot of marathons and to run one is tremendous feat. To contend is a whole other level entirely. Plus he hails from my home county and raced in Knoxville, home of America's premier football and learning institution.

He does have along way to touch this guy who ran 7 marathons in seven days.

Meet Sir Ranulph Fiennes:
http://www.grose.us/marathon/british.htm

[lgriemsman]

Mike Wardian was one of the hardest workers and toughest members of the 1993-1995 Spartan Lacrosse teams. Coming out of Virginia it always felt like he had something to prove as he had to fight to stand out from the All-Americans from Michigan and the guys from New York and Maryland.

The nickname we had for Mike was "Gumby" because he sacrificed his body at the attack position on a regular basis. You would lay him out with the best body check you could, slamming him down to the ground, and he would bounce right back up.

Our coach, Rich Kimball, would quite often have these three mile "river runs" at six in the morning. Mike always came in one of the top finishers. You knew this kid had a good pair of lungs and a heart as big as the state of Virginia.