By Tyler Barth
A well thrown boomerang always loops back to the thrower. Matt Conner must be a skilled thrower.
It took him nearly 12 hours, but the owner of Boomerang Fitness says he successfully logged 60 miles, almost non-stop, looping the Morristown Green on Saturday.
That’s 240 laps, 960 corners, and who knows how many steps. All for charity, while enduring an aching right Achilles.
“When I received the grant for rent relief from the Morristown Partnership I also received an email from the Movember Foundation,” said Conner, 39, a trainer who took ownership of his Wilmot Street studio last year.
The Partnership raised nearly $680,000 to cover rent for the next three months for 62 local businesses struggling during the pandemic. Conner said he wanted to pay forward this generosity.
Movember’s email asked supporters to do physical challenges as part of their fundraising efforts for men’s health causes, including prostate- and testicular cancer, suicide prevention and mental health.
“One of the suggested challenges was to run 60 miles in November.”
Conner, already an endurance runner who logs 30 to 40 miles a week, decided to change this to 60 miles in one day. He started Saturday’s romp at 5:15 am and wrapped up around 5 pm, stopping every five miles for some nourishment and a change of direction.
So far, Conner has raised about $12,000. This is a substantial amount, but Matt wants more. His goal is $60,000.
“That’s why it’s 60 miles,” said Boomerang Fitness trainer Jessica Grader.
Out of more than 53,000 participants in the challenge, Matt ranks 20th.
“He believes that whatever work you put in will come back to you,” said Grader. “You know, that karmic sense.”
Besides the right Achilles, which was hurting even before the run, Conner finished his double-marathon mostly intact. He’s not sure if he’ll try this route again, but he’s awaiting his next ultramarathon.
Conner shared some advice to anyone contemplating such an endurance test:
“It’s all about volume of training. You quite simply have to prepare your body for the stress of impact. A mentor of mine, John Zagata, once told me: ‘You can’t cheat the miles.’”
