"I'm not a fast runner. But I know how to finish and how to enjoy any race" - Deo Jaravata
When Deo turned thirty years old he felt as if something in his life was missing. He was easily depressed and just not feeling fulfilled. A friend recommended that he try running so, in 1997, Deo joined a running club. Shortly thereafter, he began training for the Los Angeles Marathon. Flash forward 20 years… and Deo, now fifty years old, is one marathon away from having run 400 marathon or greater distance events. His journey as a dedicated marathon runner is truly inspiring. We'll give you a second to re-read that in case you're still in disbelief…
Deo is a high school math teacher who runs for physical and mental health. He comes from a family of runners. His father coached track and field when Deo and his sister is also a marathon runner, so it's no surprise that Deo turned out to be such a prolific runner. In 2011 alone, he ran fifty-two marathon or greater distance races. That's a marathon or ultra every weekend! Almost equally as impressive, he scheduled out each race and travel logistics for all of 2011 in the last few weeks of 2010.
In order to be able to run so many long distance events, Deo has to be careful not to over train. It's a delicate balance. On one hand his body needs to be kept up so that it can handle the rigor of so many miles and on the other he needs to be sure he's ready for each event by not over doing it in between. It is for these reasons that Deo's training is always in flux. Deo sets a plan for himself determined by the frequency of his events and sticks to it. He's found that running two to five times a week 3 to 6 miles a run and then racing on the weekends works for him. This approach to endurance running helps him maintain his stamina. It also doesn't hurt that he gets massages regularly! Deo's ultimate goal is to run a marathon or ultra in every state and on every continent. With his running prowess, we think he can surely accomplish this goal.
You're probably wondering how Deo fuels himself for his epic lifestyle. In his own words he "pretty much eats everything in sight." He's always careful not to eat anything crazy the night or two before a race and uses Carbopro to fuel during his races.
Deo stumbled upon Orange Mud after years of being frustrated with bladder style hydration packs. He loves the Hydraquiver Vest Pack 2 because it's so easy to refill during races, making it one of the best hydration vests for marathon runners. Over the last couple of years Deo's trademark has been the Elsa doll (from the Disney movie Frozen) that he straps to the back of his VP2. He can also be heard singing the hit song, "Let it Go" from the previously mentioned movie. As you can tell, Deo is a fun guy to be around out on the trail.
If you want to follow along as Deo pushes past the 400 marathon mark check him out on Instagram @deojerome