A marathon a day lets the kids start to play

By: Eva Ferguson

Posted: 31/12/2010 1:00 AM

CALGARY -- Martin Parnell has run more than 12 million steps this year -- in rain, sleet, and temperatures ranging from a boiling 32 C to a miserable -41 C. But when he completes one final run on Friday, the 55-year-old will have logged more than 10,550 kilometres after running 250 marathons in 365 days.

And the Alberta man still has high spirits as the finish line of the lengthy challenge nears.

Dipping into the Good Earth Cafe in Calgary for some sustenance early Thursday -- midway through his 249th marathon distance of 2010 -- Parnell was red-cheeked as he casually noted: "It's a little nippy out today."