Beginning with a Ceremonial Mile on May 10, 2008 in Tarpon Springs, FL and continuing for 20 weeks, David O’Meara went on a personal quest to complete an unusual feat — 20/20/20<5@45.
That is 20 one-mile races in 20 weeks in 20 different cities, all under 5 minutes at 45 years old. David put together this 2008 feat of speed and endurance not only to celebrate his 45 years of life, fitness, and health but also to inspire other older runners to run faster and perform better.
20 races in 20 weeks is a lot of racing. And to go under 5 minutes in every successful race with the extensive travel, the diverse road mile courses, and unpredictable weather made the 5 months of “racing fast” a great challenge physically and mentally.
David completed his 20/20/20<5@45 feat on 9/21/2008 at the 5th Avenue Mile in New York City. Due to inclement weather, it took him 22 races during the 20 weeks to successfully complete 20 of them in under 5 minutes. The people he met during his 45,000 miles of traveling North America made the journey truly special. The best part was hearing their stories and aspirations.
This event became the foundation of David’s book, Creating Amazement. The book shares 20 attributes that he learned during the event, and puts into perspective what it takes to achieve truly amazing results in your own business and personal lives.
Below are the race results of the 20/20/20/<5@45 event. You can follow David’s 2008 journey and read about how he accomplished his goal in his 2008 Blog.
Race Results
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| Race | Date | Race | Location | Status | Time | Blog |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race #1 | 05/10/08 | Ceremonial Mile | Tarpon Springs, FL | Completed | 4:42 | Video | TV |
| Race #2 | 05/17/08 | Congress Avenue Mile | Austin, TX | Completed | 4:50 | Blog |
| Race #3 | 05/23/08 | Ogden Mile | Wheeling, WV | Completed | 4:28 | Blog |
| Race #4 | 05/26/08 | Memorial Day Mile | Boardman, OH | Completed | 4:47 | Video | TV |
| Race #5 | 06/01/08 | State Street Mile | Santa Barbara, CA | Completed | 4:38 | Blog |
| Race #6 | 06/07/08 | Eugene Challenge Mile | Eugene, OR | Completed | 4:45 | Blog |
| Race #7 | 06/14/08 | The 8th Annual Garelick Farms-Bangor YMCA Main Street Mile Milk Run | Bangor, ME | Completed | 4:42 | Video | TV |
| Race #8 | 06/21/08 | First Bank Loudoun Street Mile | Winchester, VA | Completed | 4:49 | Blog | TV |
| Race #9 | 06/27/08 | Main Street Mile | Boise, ID | Completed | 4:54 | Video | TV |
| Race #10 | 07/04/08 | Boom Box Mile | Willimantic, CT | Completed | 4:53 | Video |
| Race #11 | 07/12/08 | Tim and Susan Cook Memorial ChambersFest One-Mile Race | Chambersburg, PA | Completed | 4:49 | Blog | TV |
| Race #12 | 07/16/08 | Smith Barney/Millers Mutual Harrisburg Mile | Harrisburg, PA | Completed | 4:49 | Blog | TV |
| Race #13 | 07/26/08 | Sea Cavalcade Mile | Gibsons, BC Canada | Completed | 4:49 | Blog |
| Race #14 | 08/02/08 | Paul & Mike's Excellent Mile | Amarillo, TX | Completed | 4:50 | Video |
| Race #15 | 08/09/08 | Ozark Mountain Ridge Runners Maui Mile | Springfield, MO | Completed | 4:43 | Video |
| Race #16 | 08/22/08 | Derby Street Mile Run | Salem, MA | Completed | 4:56 | Blog |
| Race #17 | 08/30/08 | Jack Russell's Downhill Mile | Bar Harbor, ME | Completed | 4:36 | Blog |
| XX XX | 09/07/08 | Minnesota Mile | Duluth, MN | Unsuccessful | 5:01 | Blog |
| Race #18 | 09/11/08 | The Last Mile Country Mile | Mansfield, CT | Completed | 4:48 | Video |
| XX XX | 09/14/08 | Main Street Mile | Falmouth, MA | Unsuccessful | 5:06 | |
| Race #19 | 09/16/08 | Sprint with Judy Mile | Woodstock, CT | Completed | 4:45 | Blog |
| Race #20 | 09/21/08 | Fifth Avenue Mile | New York, NY | Completed | 4:51 | Video |
The “20/20/20<5@45” Event was successfully completed on 9/21/2008 in twenty successful one-mile races in 20 weeks each under 5 minutes.