Man, previously bedridden for 2 years, completes record-setting run
Whether we mean to or not, we all tend to judge people on first impressions.
Right away, when you meet Justin DeFlumeri, you're struck by his sense of humor.
Even after finishing a feat that would leave most runners out of breath, he's cracking jokes.
“I forgot my car at the starting line. I gotta go back," DeFlumeri said, laughing.
That starting line is a three-and-a-half-hour journey by car. But DeFlumeri didn't drive. He ran virtually nonstop.
“I took about a 1:30 nap in the car today on a backpack, that was really great. I fell asleep on a beach chair for like 30 seconds, which was great,” DeFlumeri said.
The 36-year-old ran from New Hampshire's Canadian border to the Massachusetts border — 197 miles, or the equivalent of almost eight marathons — in less than five days.
To be exact, DeFlumeri said the run took four days, four hours and 56 minutes, faster than anyone in state history.
“I honestly feel like the whole state was behind us. We were getting so many honks. It was unbelievable,” DeFlumeri said.
DeFlumeri loves a challenge. He's been taking them on his whole life.
He played baseball and got into boxing and kickboxing.
“They had to do a lumbar puncture because they thought I had blood around my brain, and what happened was they put a hole in my spine and I started leaking cerebrospinal fluid,” DeFlumeri said.
DeFlumeri was bedridden for two years, and recovery took two more years.
When he was finally back on his feet, he ran a 5K and found his new passion.
“In two years, I've done over 200 races,” DeFlumeri said.
The journey led him to this new challenge, to take on running the length of New Hampshire, from Pittsburg to Nashua.
DeFlumeri had a crew of four people to help him along the way.
He raised money for the Heather Abbott Foundation, which provides custom prostheses to those who have lost limbs.
DeFlumeri ran more than 40 miles a day and did it during the first week of summer, with temperatures hitting the 80s and 90s.
“Toughest part was the White Mountains. It was so hard. It was extremely hot, and the elevation was just never-ending,” DeFlumeri said.
The difficulty of the route reinforced what he's learned first-hand. When life gets hard, keep going.
“No matter what you're going through, always try to find the light at the end of the tunnel and sometimes, that light is burnt out, but just keep digging and keep digging,” DeFlumeri said. “I heard so many remarkable stories along the way. We had somebody who beat brain cancer, lung cancer twice.”
At the end of his journey, family and friends, including his 5-year-old daughter Aria, cheered him on.
“That was great to have her at the finish line. She gave me this medal and a slice of pizza. Honestly, that's all I wanted,” DeFlumeri said.
It will be hard to keep this thrill-seeker away from the next challenge, but for now, he'll enjoy the simple things.
“I think I'm just going to eat a bunch of pizza and relax for a little bit and not even think about my next race,” DeFlumeri said.