George Chmiel Prepares for 150 Mile Australian Ultra Marathon
Leaving the ABC reporter "speechless", Chmiel described his upcoming 150 mile/ 5 day ultra-marathon in the deadly and treacherous Australian Outback.
Online, April 14, 2010 (Newswire.com) - George Chmiel has thousands of families throughout the country in anticipation, some of whom are in tears, as he prepares to leave for his second ultra marathon to support ill children of The MAGIC Foundation.
The latest event by RacingThePlanet is set to begin April 25th in an area of Australia which even has event planners nervous. Compounding the grueling event itself, Chmiel will be running this race just days after surgery while wearing a cast.
RacingThePlanet is a series of international events with athletes from dozens of different countries. Each race is unique in design but all races are extreme in their climate and geographical challenges. Additionally, each competitor is required to run with all of their own equipment (food for the entire week etc.) in their backpak's. This is a no frills, ultra marathon series for serious athletes. It is Chmiel's second ultra marathon.
Chmiel's very first RacingThePlanet ultra marathon took place 6 months ago across the Sahara Desert. He was the first American to cross the finish line placing 5th overall. He did suffer some injuries, he was lost in the Sahara Desert without water for a while, but explained that he also learned a great deal from his rookie experience. On day 5, the final day, he crossed the finish line and collapsed face down in the sand from exhaustion.
Families of ill children throughout the world have been learning about George Chmiel and his Quest for Luci (a child affected with panhypopituitarism) since his first leg of this race series in the Sahara. Twitter and Facebook pages have mentions of this 29 year old, single man who works as the Vice President of Structured Investments for Bank of America/Merrill Lynch. George Chmiel is, via the grassroots, becoming a hero to many impacted families throughout the world.
Unlike the sands of the Sahara Race, The Australian Race involves rocky mountains and crossing waterways which requires packing up his items into a waterproof seal and swimming across. Hopeful to avoid crocodiles and lethal snakes, Chmiel will be at a strong disadvantage with a cast on his arm.
Additional Information
To watch the video interview: http://www.thebostonchannel.com/video/23135683/index.html
George Chmiel's Personal Site: www.luciandgeorge.com