Competitive Runner
Personal Aspirations
David O’Meara’s aspirations drive him to continually refine his own training processes and push his body to new levels of performance. David started running late in life (36 years old) and three years later started running competitively in local races. In 2007, he came up with the idea that he should train for something bigger than a single race—he wanted it to be something that no one had ever tried—something that would celebrate his age.
He decided he was going to race 20 one-mile races, in 20 weeks, in 20 different North American cities. The caveat was that each race had to be completed in under 5 minutes (or the race didn’t count). To accomplish this aggressive goal, David was going to need a team of people to help him train and prepare for this event—and The One Mile Runner was born. He would start the 20/20/20<5@45 event in the summer of 2008 just after his 45th birthday and document his journey in a Blog.
The One Mile Runner
The One Mile Runner is David’s personal laboratory for research, development and testing of new exercises, training methods, recovery techniques, athletic equipment and vegan products. Originally, supported by a team of consultants, the mission was to discover and develop new training methods that would help him increase his speed, improve his technique, prevent injury, and quickly recover after racing. The team consisted of a running coach, a physical therapist, a chiropractor, a message therapist, a pedorthist, an orthopedist, a sleep specialist, a registered dietitian and a life coach (for mental preparation). The strength, speed, injury prevention, and recovery methods created by this team have become the basis of David’s Body Protection training program. David continues to innovate and drive himself to new levels of performance through intensive training and international events.
The One Mile Runner Events
Since 2008, David has successfully completed six grueling 1-mile racing events around the world. Each event has had its own challenges and a specific goal in mind.