TUCSON, Arizona — “Running is almost a fix for everything,” said Gregg Maul.
Tucson’s Gregg Maul has been running and winning for nearly five decades.
“I keep going,” said Maul. “I’m kind of like the Ever Ready guy.”
Just how far has Maul run? When his daily runs and marathons are added up, he estimates he’s run around the earth at its equator nine times.
“I’m here, other people are not, so I keep going.”
Now 72 years old, Maul isn’t slowing down.
"I”m on my way up."
He means that literally. Maul is set to run his sixth high-altitude Leadville Marathon in Colorado. It's considered to be the nation's toughest and highest marathon, taking runners to over thirteen thousand feet. And, the first half is uphill.
"Your quads and caves are disaster by the time you are done. So, it's just physically challenging.
It's a run with scenery and sometimes wildlife.
"A couple of years ago we ran with a bear."
Maul also does ultra marathons, but he is known for more than just his endurance.
"I look identical to Abraham Lincoln."
Others seem to agree. For the U.S. Marine Corps Marathon, Maul grows out his beard to look the former president, and then dresses the part after the run.
"I get a couple of hundred people asking for signatures and autographs," Maul joked.
So, Maul combines his stamina with his sense of humor, saying fit by running.
"It keeps me ahead of the curve at all times."
