Who was... Mark Covert: the first athlete to wear Nike shoes ran every day for 45 years!

We're going to close this week with a peculiar character who perfectly embodies the idea we have of a runner and who, in addition, has a couple of biographical notes that make him more than worthy of appearing on this blog: it's Mark Covert .

Born on November 17, 1950, Mark Covert began running at high school in Burbank, California. On July 23, 1968, he also embarked on a curious feat. That day, he went running and has been doing so every day for 45 years.

Indeed, a foot injury broke his streak on July 23, 2013. It is believed to be the longest such streak in U.S. history, although Britain's Ron Hill has surpassed it.

Mark Covert competed in the 1972 Olympic Games representing the United States in the marathon, where he finished seventh (2:23:35) and was a national cross country champion while attending Los Angeles Valley College.

Mark Covert, who is still the head coach of the Antelope Valley College track and field team in Lancaster, California, at 75, is also known for being the first athlete in history to cross a finish line wearing Nike shoes . It was at the trials for the 1972 Olympics. For this reason, Covert is inducted into the Oregon-based firm's Hall of Fame.

As a curiosity, it should be noted that Covert ran about 240,000 kilometers during his career, which would be equivalent to traveling around the planet Earth six times around the equator.

I hope you enjoyed the article. See you next week.