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To Perry Romanowski, multi-tasking means juggling three objects while he runs marathons. The Lemont native is active in the sport of joggling — or running while juggling.
“Joggling has been shown to build the brain and helps with your thinking, especially when you change up the pattern,” Romanowski said. “I’ve found joggling has made me more creative.”
Romanowski learned to juggle at Central School in Lemont after being inspired by a school assembly, he said. A sprinter at Lemont High School, he eventually combined both interests and joggled his first full marathon in 1997. He has since joggled 30 marathons.
Joggling has transformed Romanowski from a streaky runner to a streak runner. His initial streak involved joggling 444 consecutive days, from January 2007 to April 2008. He is currently on Day 566 of a new streak, one he hopes will last 1,001 consecutive days.
“I do the streaks because it motivates me to keep in shape and keep running,” he said.
Romanowski holds a Guinness World Record for best time joggling a 50-mile ultra marathon, which he accomplished running the Chicago Lakefront 50/50 in 2007. His time of 8 hours, 23 minutes topped the former record by 29 minutes.
“It’s great to know you’re the only person to have done anything at a certain speed,” he said. “One of my goals is to try to get a hundred-mile world record.”
Streaks and world records aside, the overall purpose of joggling is to have fun while running and maintain a healthy lifestyle, Romanowski said.
“If I can live to 90 or 100 and still be joggling, I’ll do that,” he said. “It’s about living healthy and being active. That’s the key to a long and happy life.”
Notable
Romanowski, a cosmetic chemist for Alberto Culver, also runs his own publishing company, Brains Publishing. The company was started about three years ago with the aim to educate the public about science.
& quotable
Lemont’s Quarryman Challenge is a unique race for a joggler, said Romanowski, who has done the race the past three years. “From a juggling standpoint, hills are hard because you’re not using your arms the same way as when you just run on a flat surface. It takes a lot of energy and tires you out a lot more.”
Favorite joggling terrain
- Beaches
- Mountain trails
- Around new cities
On the web
Follow Romanowski’s daily joggling experiences on his blog, Just Your Average Joggler.
To Perry Romanowski, multi-tasking means juggling three objects while he runs marathons. The Lemont native is active in the sport of joggling — or running while juggling.
“Joggling has been shown to build the brain and helps with your thinking, especially when you change up the pattern,” Romanowski said. “I’ve found joggling has made me more creative.”
Romanowski learned to juggle at Central School in Lemont after being inspired by a school assembly, he said. A sprinter at Lemont High School, he eventually combined both interests and joggled his first full marathon in 1997. He has since joggled 30 marathons.
Joggling has transformed Romanowski from a streaky runner to a streak runner. His initial streak involved joggling 444 consecutive days, from January 2007 to April 2008. He is currently on Day 566 of a new streak, one he hopes will last 1,001 consecutive days.
“I do the streaks because it motivates me to keep in shape and keep running,” he said.
Romanowski holds a Guinness World Record for best time joggling a 50-mile ultra marathon, which he accomplished running the Chicago Lakefront 50/50 in 2007. His time of 8 hours, 23 minutes topped the former record by 29 minutes.
“It’s great to know you’re the only person to have done anything at a certain speed,” he said. “One of my goals is to try to get a hundred-mile world record.”
Streaks and world records aside, the overall purpose of joggling is to have fun while running and maintain a healthy lifestyle, Romanowski said.
“If I can live to 90 or 100 and still be joggling, I’ll do that,” he said. “It’s about living healthy and being active. That’s the key to a long and happy life.”
Notable
Romanowski, a cosmetic chemist for Alberto Culver, also runs his own publishing company, Brains Publishing. The company was started about three years ago with the aim to educate the public about science.
& quotable
Lemont’s Quarryman Challenge is a unique race for a joggler, said Romanowski, who has done the race the past three years. “From a juggling standpoint, hills are hard because you’re not using your arms the same way as when you just run on a flat surface. It takes a lot of energy and tires you out a lot more.”
Favorite joggling terrain
- Beaches
- Mountain trails
- Around new cities
On the web
Follow Romanowski’s daily joggling experiences on his blog, Just Your Average Joggler.
