Todd Kane loves to run. He has not missed a day of running since July 1, 2015. On January 1, 2021, Kane gave himself a challenge.
“I gave myself a project. I wanted to run past all 5400 homes in Sun City, covering all of Sun City’s 97 miles of paved roads and trails, Wildflower Lake and Meadows,” Kane said.
On January 1, 2021, Todd Kane challenged himself to running past every home in Sun City. Misson complete. (Photo by Christine Such/Sun Day)
Did he run even in the frigid cold?
Kane said, “Yes, I ran every day. I am an early runner. I am done usually by 9 a.m. I start when it’s still dark with a headlight hat. I have seen some magnificent sunrises. In addition to seeing folks walking their pets and walking for exercise, I’ve come to recognize Del Webb residents in their cars, we wave and they sometimes honk greetings.”
Is it difficult to get out the door and start running every day? Kane said, “It’s easy to find excuses not to run, but I ran across an organization ‘Streak Runners International.’ It gave me the motivation I needed and now I just do it. It’s a self-reporting organization. I have run 2070 days in a row. It’s fun.”
What is a running streak? You can find information on the organization at www.runeveryday.com/.
According to the website, “The official definition of a running streak, as adopted by the Streak Runners International, Inc., and United States Running Streak Association, Inc., is to run at least one mile (1.61 kilometers) within each calendar day. Running may occur on either the roads, a track, over hill and dale, or a treadmill. Any interested person may apply for SRI/USRSA membership, but no runner can have their running streak listed on either the active or retired running streak list until it has reached at least one year in duration.”
Kane has certainly passed that one-year mark.
Kane said, “I have been a runner for my entire adult life. I ran competitively in High school and College and decided to come back to it. For 39 years, I have been running. I still run a few Marathons.”
Has his running changed over the years?
Kane said, “Surprisingly my endurance has not changed. I have recorded every run. I write down where I ran and how long.”
Did Jane complete his tour of Sun City?
Kane said, “Mission complete! It took 66 days and 228 miles to run past all 5,400 homes.”
Kane armed himself with a map of Sun City and a blue marker and an app that records your route. He wanted to make sure that he did not miss any streets in Sun City.
“I started at my home every day, planning out the route. Sometimes I got home and realized that I had missed a street and I had to do it again. In some areas, it took me 2-3 days to finish one neighborhood. Some areas of Sun City were quite a distance away from my starting home and it was a long run to get to in itself.”
How many miles did Kane run each day?
He said, “I averaged about 25 to 30 miles a week. Depending on the neighborhood I was trying to complete, some runs were longer than others.”
What advice would he give someone who wanted to try this challenge?
Kane said, “Get a map of Sun City and a blue marker. It was more difficult than I thought, but I did it. You don’t have to run, you can walk. Walking gives you the same benefits with fewer liabilities. It’s Newton’s first law. If a body is at rest or moving at a constant speed in a straight line, it will remain at rest or keep moving in a straight line at constant speed unless it is acted upon by a force.”
