PARKRUNS COMPLETED AT TIME OF WRITING
100+
The number
of different
parkrun events
Darren has
completedThe furthest
distance, in miles,
Darren has travelled
to a parkrunNUMBER OF TIMES
DARREN HAS
VOLUNTEERED AT
PARKRUNMissed parkruns
in 15 years459
33
67
381
DARREN’S PARKRUN PB. HIS PB ON CRUTCHES IS A VERY RESPECTABLE 37 MINUTES
PAIRS OF TRAINERS DARREN HAS WORN
THROUGH ON HIS WAY TO HIS MIGHTY
RUNNING ACHIEVEMENT70 5
What’s the most badass thing you
have done during a run? Chased
away a squirrel? Environmental
consultant Travis Kauffman (31)
recently bested a mountain lion
while trail running in Colorado. The
animal, described as a ‘juvenile’,
lunged at the runner, biting his face
and wrist and causing serious but
not life-threatening injuries (he
needed 28 stitches). Mountain lions
have been known to kill humans,
but Travis was able to overpower
the creature. ‘I tried to throw it
off me and we took a little tumble
down the south side of the trail, and
down there had a little wrestling
match,’ he says. ‘At which point, I
was able to get on top of it, and pin
its back legs.’ Travis, who is 5ft 10in
and weighs 11st, was finally able to
shift his weight and get a foot on
the lion’s neck to choke it. ‘After
a couple of minutes, it stopped
moving and its jaws opened and
I was able scramble back up the
hill and get the heck out.’Two-time Olympic steeplechaser
Anthony Famiglietti had been
working hard to run a sub 4-min
mile at 40. Turns out he just needed
the right training partner – a border
collie/whippet mix called Bailey.
Famiglietti and Bailey, a rescue dog,
recently ran a 3:59 mile, the fastest
man-dog mile on record. Famiglietti
was approached by Bailey’s owners,
Katie and Jason Rose, with the idea.
The fastest known time for a man-
dog mile was 4:13, set in 2016, but
Bailey’s owners were sure she could
go faster. ‘The first 400m, she was
excited, and kind of kept looking
back and let me keep up with her. It
wasn’t like she was pulling me too
much,’ said Famiglietti. ‘It was so
fun and beneficial, training-wise.’TRAVIS
KAUFFMAN
Overpowered a
mountain lion with his
bare hands. And feetYOU’RE^
AMAZING!
BY THE NUMBERS
DARREN WOOD
36, HAMPSHIRE, HAS COMPLETED MORE PARKRUNS THAN ANYONE ELSE
NOBODY ELSE IN THE WORLD has run as many parkruns as Darren Wood – an
amazing 705, at time of writing. The 36-year-old has seen the event grow from 20 or so
runners in 2004 into a global phenomenon. ‘For me, it used to be about times,’ he says, ‘but
you realise you can’t improve every week, so it becomes more about the community side of
things. I’ve met so many amazing people.’ So why so many parkruns? ‘I can’t not do it,’ he
says. ‘It’s almost like an obsessive disorder. It just feels odd if I don’t. The parkrun community
is like a family to me.’ He is unapologetic about his obsession. ‘Parkrun encourages
everyone, regardless of ability, to find the fun in running. What’s not to like about that?’MAY 2019 RUNNERSWORLD.COM/UK 029ANTHONY
FAMIGLIETTI
AND BAILEY
Recorded the
fastest man-dog
mile on recordHH RR
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