FAQs About Running and Juggling
In doing a little research on 100 mile ultras, two blog posts caught my eye. The first 
was on by Carey who published answers to some FAQs about running a 100 miler. These were based on a list put together by Davy Crockett. Both of these guys have done multiple ultras and have answers to lots of great questions such as “Do you sleep” and “Why would you run that far?”
Joggling FAQs
Instead of giving my own answers to the ultra questions, it would be most helpful to give answers to FAQs about joggling. Here goes…
Why do you joggle?
I joggle because I can, I’m good at it and because it makes people smile. I also joggle because while I’ll never be the fastest runner in the field, I just might be the fastest juggler. It makes me much more competitive. Remember, you don’t get to pick what you’re good at but if you find it (no matter how silly), go out and be great.
Do you always joggle?
Pretty much all the time. I joggle all my races and now all my training runs too. The only time I put the bean bags down is when I’m doing sprint workouts. But even then I’ll occasionally joggle.
Do you juggle the whole way?
Yes. The goal of the joggler is to make it the entire distance without stopping or dropping. In the early days I would do short stretches where I didn’t juggle. Today, I’m juggling every step of the way.
What do you juggle?
I juggle three, 12-panel Dodeca Gballz. They are about 90 grams and are shaped a bit like mini soccer (football) balls.
Are you chewing gum?
Not usually. Although Michal was chewing gum when he recently broke the world record for the fastest marathon whilst juggling.
How often do you drop?
During a marathon, I’ll typically have between 2 and 4 drops. I have run 26.2 miles without a single drop. Recently, I ran 50 miles and had 4 drops in 8 hours, 23 minutes.
Can you do 4 or 5 balls?
Yes, but not while joggling. Actually, I can do 5 balls while joggling, I just don’t. It makes it much, much tougher to run. The master of the 5-ball joggle is Barry Goldmeier.
Can you juggle chainsaws?
Yes, but I haven’t since I cut my nose off with a chainsaw back in 1988. (true story)
Is there something wrong with you?
There’s something wrong with everyone. I’m just a little more public about my eccentricity.
Are you the only joggler in the world?
No way. There are lots of jogglers out there. For a sampling, read through these interviews of other jogglers around the world.
Did you invent joggling?
No. While no single person can claim to have invented it, Bill Giduz, Dana Lee Ling and Dave Finegan were some of the earliest known practitioners in the mid 1970’s. Albert Lucas was reportedly the first to finish a marathon while joggling.
If you have any questions that weren’t answered, feel free to leave your question in the comments section.
This Post Has 2 Comments
Ok, I need more on the chainsaw story. My stock reply to the Chainsaw questions is “I would but they cost an arm and a leg” That seems to A, get a laugh, and B: Make the person realize we get that question too often.
Where are you in the process of getting a certified Record?
It would be fun to have you come to Milwaukee for our 12 & 24 hour run on a track on Labor Day weekend.
Besides it being flat, fast, coushioned, and needing little if no crew access, another advantage over trail 100’s is that you could set intermediate records too.
50K, 100K, 12 Hour, and 150K, enroute to 100 mile and 24 hour. (And another nice thing is that if you aren’t having a good day and can’t make it to 100m, well then you’d still have the other records
We have plenty of great food and fluids, but you would probably have to stop and eat/drink them in order to set the records.
We change directions every 3 hours, and there is always someone to talk to.
Our website at badgerlandstriders.org will be updated by the end of January.