Marathon schmarathon. Pembroke's Nathan Sanel prefers longer distances. Much longer. On Oct. 18 Sanel and a friend - nickname Sherpa - will cross the state on a 124-mile run to raise money for the Make a Wish Foundation. Sanel, who turns 40 today, tells us more:

Okay, first question, and I mean this will all due respect: Are you nuts? Pretty much. I think that's a fair question that people ask me a lot.

How did this idea come about? One of my friends who also runs ultra-marathons, we call him Sherpa, he had mentioned the idea. We always try to do one crazy run a month. He planted the seed about two months ago.

Why Make a Wish? My company, National Powersports, picks a charity to do an event with every year. I've always wanted to do something with Make A Wish for all the obvious reasons. What they do for kids with life threatening illnesses is amazing.

You routinely run 20, 50 miles at a time. How do you keep yourself occupied? When you're running with a friend, we end up having a discussion about everything. It's kind of like meditating. A lot of times you're concentrating on the physical pain that you're in. Sometimes your mind just wanders. Other times you're focusing on hydrating, taking in enough calories, taking care of yourself.

How many pairs of shoes do you own? My shoe closet, I have 10 times more shoes than my wife. I probably have 15 pairs of shoes in my closet right now. You know where I am right now? I just came from Runner's Ally. I bought a new pair.

MEG HECKMAN

To donate money or join Sanel on part of his run, go to runnh.blogspot.com. If you're generous but sedentary, look for details on raffle tickets for a motorcycle.