Weekend America 2006.10.07 – "Music for a Marathon Man"
Airing today on Weekend America, my “Listening In” interview with ultramarathoner Dean Karnazes.
Dean is now out on the North Face Endurance 50 – he’s running 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 consecutive days. I ran with Dean in early September in San Francisco’s Presidio for a solid hour as he prepared for the run. Dean is a multitasker when he runs – for example, he dictated his book, “Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner,” into a handheld recorder during his famous all-night runs. He also is known to order a Hawaiian pizza with pineapple on it (It’s easier on the stomach than pepperoni) from Papa John’s and have it delivered on a street-corner mid-run. Papa John’s is one of the only pizza chains that is willing to deliver without a street address, according to Dean.
And… he listens to music. I ran tethered to Dean by a six foot audio cable with my recorder strapped to my side. Through my headphones, I listened to the tunes flowing into Dean’s earbuds, and we talked about what makes these songs good songs for a running playlist:
“I Ran So Far Away”– Flock of Seagulls (good lyrics, theme song)
“Ring of Fire” – Social Distortion (hill climbing song)
“Wicked Game” – Chris Isaak (song for dark moments)
“Marvo Ging” – Chemical Brothers (good running song)
“Louie, Louie”– Toots and the Maytals (stumbling in the night song)
“Bittersweet Symphony” The Verve – (song at dawn)
“Firestarter”– Prodigy – (good hill song)
“White Rabbit” – Jefferson Airplane – (death valley song)
