The Funniest Compliment I Ever Received About My Running

On the evening of October 9, 2006, I was in Fellowsville, West Virginia, at the home of Stan Shaver and his wife, Thelma. They were kind enough to provide overnight accommodations as I was nearing the finish of my solo run across America. On that particular day, I had run more than the marathon distance and the next day I was scheduled to run 38 miles to Mount Storm, West Virginia, which included steep and narrow roads going up the Appalachian Mountains.

At the time of my visit, Stan was the Principal of Fellowsville School and was serving in the West Virginia House of Representatives (District 46). After a wonderful dinner, Stan and I were sitting in his living room chatting about the cross-country adventure that I had been doing for over 3 months. He couldn't believe that I had averaged 30 miles per day solo pushing a 65-pound jogging stroller of gear for 2,960 miles to his front doorstep. It was simply amazing to him. He told me that what I was doing surpassed anything in athletics that he had ever seen, including Lance Armstrong's wins in the Tour de France. He then gave me the funniest compliment that I had ever received regarding my ultra-endurance adventures. Stan said, "There are IronMen, and then there's whatever the hell you are!" I laughed, but quickly realized that he didn't mean it as a joke. He was completely serious!

Of course, the "Ironman" title in athletics is for those who complete the Ironman Triathlon challenge in Hawaii -- swimming 2.4 miles; bicycling 112 miles; and, running 26.2 miles (in that order, without breaks). I've never felt compelled to pursue the Ironman (mainly due to my lack of strength in swimming), but I greatly respect those who can complete that race. There's also "Iron Man" -- the fictional superhero by Marvel Comics. However, I don't think that's the "Iron Man" he was referring to!

So, to hear Stan say what he did was taken as both a compliment and quite humorous. Thanks for encouraging me, Stan!

From Him, Through Him, For Him (Romans 11:36),

Paul J. Staso

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Visit my YouTube channel -- https://www.youtube.com/user/pacetrek

Click on any of the links below to see some of my adventure photos:

• United States in 2006 (3,260 miles solo in 108 days at age 41)
• Montana in 2008 (620 miles solo in 20 days at age 43)
• Alaska in 2009 (500 miles solo in 18 days at age 44)
• Germany in 2010 (500 miles solo in 21 days at age 45)
• The Mojave Desert in 2011 (506 miles solo in 17 days at age 46)
• Various Photos From Mileposts Gone By
• Students Worldwide Who Ran With Me Virtually
• Roadside Sights From My Running Adventures
• Some Cycling Moments From The Past