Man beats treadmill marathon record
December 13, 2004

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) -- Michael Wardian knew he was going places,
even if only on the treadmill.

The local runner beat a rather unusual world record by more than
seven minutes Saturday, running a 26.2 mile marathon on the exercise
machine.

It's hard enough to run that distance out in the open, but Wardian --
who qualified for the Olympic trials this year -- set a time of
2:23:58. The previous record was 2:31:04, according to "The Book of
Alternative Records."

Wardian, 30, said he heard about runners staying on the treadmill
for 24 hours, and he wanted to add a treadmill marathon to the
dozens of others he has run.

"It's difficult just because you always know where you are so you
can't trick yourself," Wardian said. "You just look down and you
know where you are."

The run was part of the grand-opening of a new running store in
Arlington called Pacers. Owner Christopher Farley said the marathon
required intense focus.

"The monotony of a treadmill -- the idea that you have to stay
balanced for almost two-and-a-half hours -- is a lot harder," Farley
said. "It really becomes claustrophobic."



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