On Sunday, January 30, Michael Wardian is returning to Miami to defend his title at the 2011 ING Miami Marathon®, with plans to use the race as the kind of springboard that propelled him to seven marathon victories around the country last year.
"I won a bunch of marathons last year and it all started with a really good run in Miami," said Wardian, who also won the USA 50K title, finished third in a 151-mile, six-day race across the Sahara Desert with food, supplies and bedding on his back and won the World 100K Championships bronze medal.
The Virginian will be ready to go for gold in Miami once again, although a runner-up finish at the recent Disney Marathon did not come without consequences.
"I ran OK at Disney but had a problem with my leg," he says. "I had a little bit of a pull and had a lot of pain during the race. I ran a 2:27 which is not one of my better times, but it was better than my Miami time last year."
Getting to last year's ING Miami Marathon proved to be the greatest obstacle for the 36-year-old who works full-time in international shipping. After an 80-hour work week spent moving aid to earthquake-ravaged Haiti, he won the ING Miami Marathon less than 24 hours after arriving in South Florida.
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