Misericordia University President Dan Myers talks with the media before finishing the last short stretch of a 5-K run on campus. He has now done at least five kilometers every single day for 10 years, logging 12,885 miles over 3,653 consecutive days.
Mark Guydish | Times Leader
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Misericordia University President Dan Myers runs up hill from the iconic school arch off Lake Street in Dallas Township Monday, completing 10 years of daily runs, each at least 5 kilometers.
Mark Guydish | Times Leader
DALLAS TWP. — Remember when, in the eponymous movie, Forrest Gump just ran and ran and ran across the country a few times.
It’s a little like that, only in installments.
If Misericordia University President Dan Myers stretched all the miles he’s run by doing at least five kilometers a day every single day for the last 10 years, he’d have reached San Francisco, and come back, four times. In fact, he’d be more than halfway to San Francisco on his fifth circuit after Monday’s run.
“It feels great,” he understated while answering questions near Misericordia’s iconic arch, his wide grin showing that running 3,653 days in a row was an exhilarating benchmark. “I got stuck in airports and ran there, I’ve broken toes, I was hit by car — That was a hard one to run after.”
To running enthusiasts, the relentless consecutive days doing a minimum distance is called a “streak,” and Myers started this one Feb. 1, 2012. He currently has the 25th longest active streak in Pennsylvania, and ranks 374th worldwide on Streak Runners International.
Finishing 10 years of daily running also bumped him up a category in the rankings. Runners who have a streak from five to 10 years are dubbed “Proficient, while 10-15 years makes them “experienced.”
If he makes it to 14 to 20, he becomes well-versed. There are a lot of categories above that with names like Dominators (25-30 years), Legends (40-45) and Hills (50+). And yes, there’s at least one person listed in that top category on the runeveryday.com website, with a 19,244-day active streak.
Myers ran around the campus with two other people, making a point to come down the sidewalk along Lake Street. He paused a bit by the Arch for quick media interviews and then ran under it for a photo op before finishing his run by heading up the hill to the main part of the campus.
Still grinning, he raised his hands and said “Ten more years!”
A brief pause. “Maybe not. I hope I didn’t jinx it.”
Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish