ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, Ill. -- For some runners, completing a marathon is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. But for one First Army officer, it was a once-a-day experience for one week earlier this month.
From June 5 to 11, Capt. Henryk Hinkle-Zaleski ran the Heartland Series, which comprises 26.2-mile races in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. This meant a two- to four-and-a-half drive just to get to the starting line, plus dealing with the challenge of 4 a.m. and 5 a.m. start times.
Hinkle-Zaleski said he had never been a competitive runner in school, but began running more while deployed. His interest in running increased, as did the distances he conquered. In Afghanistan, he ran a five miler, then a 10-miler, then a half-marathon.
"That just carried on when I came home and I wanted to do something bigger," Hinkle-Zaleski said. "I did my first marathon in July of 2014. Last year, I did 13 marathons and ultra-marathons, which included four 50-kilomter races and three 50-milers."
To prep for seven marathons in seven days, Hinkle-Zaleski focused on his endurance and proper nutrition. "The important things were getting my mileage in and being patient with myself, eating right, and stretching," he said. "My wife is in charge of nutrition and she makes really wonderful meals for me. She's also a massage therapist, so that helps. I couldn't have done it without her. And a fellow marathoner who did a 100-miler told me to get used to the idea of running on tired legs. That was the best advice I got, to just get used to the idea of being really tired on going on anyhow."
Hinkle-Zaleski said he met his two Heartland Series goals, which were to finish every marathon in less than five hours and to never walk. "The hardest one was definitely that last one because I was the most tired," he said. "Other than that, the Iowa one was difficult only because it rained. When your shoes get wet, you have a greater chance of getting rash on the bottom of your feet, and blisters, and my feet were full of blisters that day."
The 183.4 miles Hinkle-Zaleski put in that week are just a beginning. Besides the Bix 7 and Quad Cities Marathon, he's shooting for a greater goal.
"My last ultra marathon was in December and I wanted to do the hundred miler, but the course was really difficult and really muddy, and at 56 miles, I discovered that I didn't have any juice left," he said. "So this year, one of my goals is to complete a 100-miler. It starts an hour northeast of here and the finishing point is right on the Rock River south of Moline, which is really convenient for my wife because she does all the driving."
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