A conversation with marathon ‘maniac’ running 200th race in Atlanta

When Caroline Burnet decided to run her first marathon in 2005, she wasn’t sure she was going to make it to the finish line.

Twenty years later, she is running her 200th marathon at Sunday’s Atlanta Marathon at age 44. Averaging 10 marathons a year, and running as many as 23 last year, Burnet is a certified marathon maniac.

It’s her chosen form of therapy, a way of relieving stress.

“I never was fast, so over the years, I compensated with distance what I lacked with speed,” the Atlanta resident said. “If you can’t go fast, go far.”

5,240 miles far to be exact.

I spoke with Burnet about running 200 marathons and what she has learned along the way.

The following conversation with Burnet has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Q: You ran your first marathon in 2005 in Jacksonville, Fla. How has your approach to running changed over the past 20 years?

A: At the beginning, I wanted to finish with a good time, run the whole thing without any walk breaks. But I think after running a couple, I just changed my mindset. Quit looking at your watch. Enjoy the atmosphere. It’s a 26.2-mile tour of the city. There’s no better way to learn a city.

There’s also a group called the Marathon Maniacs where you qualify by running a certain number of marathons within a certain timeframe, so you meet up with these other crazy people that are doing the same thing you are doing. You keep seeing each other at the same races and you become good friends with them and that kind of camaraderie develops. It’s more almost about the friendships and conversations that happen during the run than the actual finish time itself.

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com

Q: Are you competitive with yourself when running?

A: I’m the one that will be running with a camera taking 200 pictures while running the Chicago Marathon, because I’m an architect and I think the architecture is cool. One of my Atlanta marathons, I detoured a block to the Krispy Kreme at Ponce de Leon and grabbed a Krispy Kreme doughnut with a friend and ate it while running mile 3. So I do not take myself seriously in that regard. It’s not about the finish time. It’s about the journey, obviously within the race itself, but even the training to get yourself to the start line of the race.

Q: What does your training process look like?

A: I’m never not training. Back when I first started running marathons, I ran a couple a year and it just became more frequent, because each marathon served as a long training run for the next marathon.

Usually six days a week, I do two-hour workouts, whether that’s running for two hours or cross training on the elliptical for two hours. I used to be strictly a runner, but as I’ve gotten older and my legs don’t quite recover as well, I’ve learned to introduce some cross training to help keep up the cardio fitness but not put quite the same pounding on the legs.

Q: Do you still get nervous before a race?

A: You would think at this point I have a certain confidence level, but you just never know what’s going to happen on any given day. I still get those butterflies and pre-race jitters even now.

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com

Q: What is your favorite part of a marathon?

A: The second half of the race. Because the first half, you’re just trying to find your rhythm. But then when the half-marathoners split off and finish their race and the numbers definitely start to whittle down, that’s when it gets real and when I start having my fun. That’s when I see what I’m made of and prove to myself I’m stronger than I think I am.

Q: How do your passions for architecture and running intersect?

A: The best way of exploring a city is by running it. The best way for me to get a sense of Chicago, New York City or San Francisco is just running marathons, seeing all the architecture and not just running with my head down. I literally have my Nikon digital camera and step off course every so often and stop and take pictures. So I think my appreciation of architecture has just helped me appreciate scenery in general and not just be focused on the footsteps in front of me.

And with architecture, it’s all about problem-solving and thinking outside the box to come up with a creative solution to the design challenge. I can see a parallel to when I’m running. I’m not being confined by what people think I’m capable of and what I think I’m capable of. In my profession, I’m also willing to test and push those boundaries as needed to come up with a creative design solution.

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com

Q: You said running marathons is a way to not only explore the world but yourself. What have you learned about yourself?

A: If you’re not occasionally failing, you’re not challenging yourself enough. I think a lot of people get complacent with their day-to-day life and are not willing to push themselves to the limit and risk failing. Running these things, it’s taught me I’m capable of more than I give myself credit for.

Things are going to come at you, and you have to adapt and pivot. Focus on what you can control. What if there are thunderstorms and it’s pouring down rain? I can’t control that, so one of my favorite sayings is, “There’s no bad running weather, just poor wardrobe decisions.”

And how to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Even to this day, running 26 miles is not exactly pleasant, but you get accustomed to that exertion and that’s a big life lesson. Being able to be comfortable enough to have those uncomfortable conversations with your spouse, your boss or adapt to a new job.

Q: Is there a particular race that comes to mind when reflecting on 200 marathons?

A: When I finished state number 50 in Oklahoma at the Route 66 Marathon, that was my second attempt running that one. I signed up a couple years previously and had been injured in a walking boot and wasn’t able to run it. So it was sweet to finish 50 states with a redemption run.

I ran a marathon in Nashville, and they were calling thunderstorms, so I dressed accordingly. Next thing I know, we’re at the start line, and there’s not a cloud in the sky, and it was 80 degrees. So you just have to adjust your pace, manage your expectations and just go with the flow and not get so hung up on it not being how you thought it was going to be.

There have also been some marathons where I had been injured and I had to walk the whole way. Honolulu, Hawaii — you can imagine the amount of money invested in that flight and hotel, and I had a tibia stress reaction a month or so prior. It’s more about how badly do you want it. Because in the end when you cross the finish line, it will all be worth it.

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com

Q: What does it mean to run your 200th marathon in Atlanta?

A: I was intentionally planning last year’s marathons so that 200 would fall in Atlanta. I’ve lived here my entire adult life, so just running through the Georgia Tech campus will be neat and a wave of nostalgia, and running by Piedmont Park where I’ve hung out a good bit. That’s the cool part about running your hometown.

Q: So what’s next?

A: I want to start going international. I’ve done four or five marathons in Canada, but I haven’t gone outside North America. I’d love to do Paris, London and see the architecture — start getting that passport stamped a little more.

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