Whatever happened to . . . The man who ran daily for 15 years

By Dan DeWitt, Times Staff Writer
Published September 16, 2007

THE STORY: Ernie Chatman, a longtime coach and physical education teacher at Hernando High in Brooksville, also pursued his own lofty athletic goals: maintaining a daily running streak that began in 1991 and preparing to run a race in Hawaii that would complete his quest to run a marathon in every state.

FROM THE STORY: "We all laugh at Ernie," said his wife, Linda. "We all think he's nuts."

Except that Chatman doesn't sound crazy. He talks like somebody who has pulled off something special - somebody who has managed, along with working and raising a family, to squeeze in a whole other life.

He remembers the unreal strength he felt cruising through sub-7-minute miles late in his Alaska marathon and the awesome views of the high plains during the Montana race. As he describes it, the trip to Cleveland has more in common with On the Road than Rain Man.

THE REST OF THE STORY: Chatman completed the Maui Marathon on a Sunday and - while the rest of the family stayed for a weeklong vacation - rushed back on Monday to prepare for his school's upcoming cross country invitational. He has since run five more marathons and, through last week, had stretched his daily running streak to more than 16 years.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT: What everyone who knows Chatman would expect: keeping the streak alive and running more marathons. "I've got 65 now and I'd like to do 100. And I might like to do all 50 states again. I don't think Linda would mind going back to Hawaii."

[Last modified September 14, 2007, 15:44:17]