Chasing the Myles: Laconia shopkeeper heading out on 78.6 mile run in support of Children's Auction

LACONIA — Myles Chase, the owner of MC Cycle and Sports on Canal Street, has done a few things in the past to help out the annual WLNH Children's Auction, such as answering phones or offering his store last year to Mike "Mad Dog" Gallagher for one of his many marathon cycling events. Over the five years that the 25 year-old Chase has been building his business, he's watched as others have embarked upon impressive feats on indurance, and in doing so encouraged significant donations.

This year, Chase is stepping from the sidelines into a central role. His business has partnered with EndorFun Sports to present the "Triple Marathon Challenge." Beginning on Friday morning, just after midnight, Chase will set out from the auction headquarters at the Lake Opechee Inn & Conference Center, from which he will jog around Lake Winnipesaukee and return to the auction an estimated 20 hours later. If everything goes according to plan, Chase will have jogged, non-stop, over a distance of 78.6 miles, three times the length of a regular marathon race.

"This will be the farthest I've ever run," said Chase. A cyclist and triathlete, Chase said he started training for and competing in ultramarathons – anything further than a conventional marathon – three years ago. To date, the furthest he's run is 50 miles, a long run by any measure but still a full marathon short of the route he's got planned for Friday.

Chase plans to depart the convention center in Lakeport and head clockwise around the lake. He'll first head through downtown and then will turn north up Parade Road, which he'll follow to Meredith Bay, at which point he'll turn onto Route 25 and run through Center Harbor and Moultonborough, where he'll pick up Route 109. He'll follow Route 109 through Tuftonborough and Wolfeboro, all the way to Alton, where he'll take Route 11 back toward Laconia. After a detour up Route 11-B to the Weirs, he'll head back toward Lakeport and the convention center.

"There's a lot that can go awry," Chase said. His first concern will be weather, although the extended forecasts look favorable. Other concerns will include proper caloric intake, for which he's planning to bring a pile of baked potatoes, a stack of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and a bunch of burritos from Burrito Me. He'll also have to worry about temperatures, as the dark hours of his run will likely feature frigid temperatures. In such conditions, it might be tempting for him to run faster but if he uses too much energy too quickly he won't have enough left to bring him to the finish line.

"It's not going to be a walk in the park, it's going to be a physical and mental struggle, but that's what I'm looking forward to as well," Chase said. "The nice thing is, this isn't a race," he said, adding that he'll be able to enjoy a relaxed pace and the runners who choose to join him for a stretch, instead of worrying about making his next checkpoint in time.

Chase will have to run at a pace that most runners would consider painfully slow, about one mile every 12 minutes. The key is to keep the pace consistent. "With ultra-running, you can't expect to run everything," he said. When he gets to a steep hill, he'll walk up it.

One upside to a slow pace is that anyone who can run for even a short distance would be able to keep up with him. In fact, that's what he's hoping will happen. His route is available by following links through endorfunsports.com, where visitors can get updates on his progress and can make a donation.

His training for the event started several months ago, when Chase was planning to compete in an ultramarathon this fall. However, he ended up not participating in that race and decided to put his conditioning to another purpose. He said he was inspired to run for the Children's Auction benefit after seeing how similar events, especially the Cycle Manias put on by Gallagher, were able to focus a great deal of attention on the region's largest fundraising effort.

Chase said he and the folks at EndorFun Sports conceived of the Triple Marathon Challenge to keep the athletic component of the auction vibrant. "Mikey put in a lot of time and energy into this. If anyone inspired me to do this, it was definitely Mad Dog."

Gallagher isn't comfortable with accolades, but is more than eager to jump on the opportunity to help Chase through his adventure. Mike plans to be a part of the team that follows and supports Chase, and he plans to run alongside Chase for at least the first and last portions of the run.

The most challenging parts of the run, in Gallagher's estimation, will be the dark hours, and he encouraged prospective supporters to join Chase at those times if possible. "That finish is going to be so incredibly hard for him. You're going to hit that mental wall when the sun sets." Despite the challenges, Gallagher was confident in Chase's prospects.

"I have no doubt that he can do it," said Gallagher. "He's going to have a lot of support, a lot of people running with him."