Man intent on record runs through Sanpete
Robert Stevens
Managing editor
9-29-2016
FAIRVIEW—Ultramarthathon runner Pete Kostelnick, who in everyday life is a financial analyst in Lincoln, Neb., stopped in Fairview last week during his attempt to break a Guiness world record by running from San Francisco to New York in 44 days.
Starting on Sept. 12, his 29th birthday, Kostelnick bounded away from the San Francisco City Hall and began his attempt at covering the 3,100-miles to New York by Oct. 25.
Currently the transcontinental record is held by Frank Giannino Jr. of Middletown, N.Y., who in 1980 ran the 3,100 miles in 46 days, 8 hours and 36 minutes.
Kostelnick’s plan has him averaging roughly 70 miles each day, which equates to just a little less than running three traditional marathons every day for six weeks straight.
His route took him through Fairview on Thursday, Sept. 22, where he had a milkshake at the Home Plate Cafe, checked in with his support team, and talked with local friends and supporters such as the staff at the Fairview Museum.
Will Lindgren, one of Kostelnick’s mentors, says he’s never met anyone like Pete. “When he decides to do something, Pete displays the vision and determination and incredible capacity for miles that set him apart as a champion distance man.”
Kostelnick’s support team is broadcasting regularly via Facebook Live on the Pete’s Feet across America Facebook page. Viewers can learn about Kostelnick’s daily schedule, monitor his progress and hear from other athletes and product sponsors.
Kostelnick set a course record for the STYR Labs Badwater 135, an ultramarathon promoted as “the world’s toughest foot race,” which sends competitors on a 135-mile run from the lowest point in the country—Badwater Basin in Death Valley, California—to the trailhead of the highest point—Whitney Portal at Mt. Whitney, California.
Kostelnick covered those miles in 21 hours, 56 minutes and 32 seconds.
The Badwater 135 Ultramarathon race director, Chris Kostman, says he believes Kostelnick has the talent to achieve the new transcontinental record.
“Pete is a true sportsman and a remarkable athlete,” he says, “At the age of just 28, (he) is poised perfectly to help lead the once obscure sport of ultrarunning into the mainstream.”\
In 2015, he entered the Desert Solstice Track Invitational and covered 163 miles in the 24-hour event. That earned him the No. 1 seed in the International Association of Ultrarunners 24-Hour World Championships in Belfast, Northern Ireland, scheduled for next July.
Kostelnick was born and raised in Boone, Iowa and graduated from Iowa State University with degrees in finance and international business. He is married to Nicole Kostelnick, also a runner.
For more information, visit http://www.petesfeetaa.com.
