Shannan Garcia just completed her first marathon and iron distance triathlon. This in itself is a great accomplishment, but consider that she had never done a triathlon of any distance before and you get the idea that she’s jumped into endurance sports with both feet. Why? Because she loves going long, and she’s raising money for Team in Training. Her coach also loves the long races. Karl W. Keltner, or Koach Karl as he’s known, has completed 37 marathons, 16 ultras and 3 Ironman triathlons. He has also been the Head Coach for the Mid-America Chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training program since 1999 and has coached over 1400 walkers and runners successfully to the marathon finish line. I recently had a chance to talk with both of them about Team in Training and what it is like to go the ultra distance. Koach Karl will soon be competing in a double iron distance race and he’s done the 135 Badwater race (donned the World’s Toughest Footrace) in death valley twice.
