| Lakewood Luminary: Tony Sigmund |
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Tony Sigmund is a Lakewood resident whom you may have heard of during the fall or spring of the last year or so. You see, he's been making a name for himself on the running scene as an EXTREME endurance athlete. You'll know why when you consider the fact that he's ran 11 marathons (the 26.2 mile marathon run is considered one of the most grueling of endurance events) in a two-year period when some consider running more than one or two a year to be dangerous and unhealthy.
It started in 2000 when Tony was on a casual run in the Metroparks and wanted to see if he could run 10 miles. Well, he made it and the rest, shall we say, is history. In the fall of 2000 he ran his first marathon—the Towpath Marathon. The following spring, on minimal training, he was up for the challenge of doing both the Cleveland Marathon and Greater Cleveland Marathon in back-to-back weekends. Tony was only getting started at that point. That fall (2001) he ran 4 marathons in 2 weeks (Steamtown, Towpath, Indianapolis, and Columbus). The last two were in two consecutive days, raising money and awareness for local non-profit group, Youth Challenge. In Spring of 2002, Tony ran the Boston Marathon (meeting the stringent qualifying time to run). Thirteen days later, Tony became the FIRST person to run the Cleveland Marathon TWICE in the same day, this time raising awareness for Cleveland's Boys and Girls Club. This garnered much local and statewide media attention. In October 2002 he won his class at the Towpath Marathon.
What's on the agenda for the future? The Cleveland Marathon is celebrating it's 27th year in April of 2004. How's Tony going to celebrate it? By running the marathon 27 TIMES in 27 DAYS! That's right…a marathon (26.2 miles) a day, EVERY day, for 27 days in a row! The last day of his 27-day “Tour de Cleveland” will be on race day itself, April 25th. He'll be raising funds and awareness for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Cleveland and the Celiac Center for Research. Not bad for someone who only a little over a few years ago wondered if he could run 10 miles!What's the most important “cause” that Tony REALLY runs for? It's to inspire. That when you set your mind to a task or goal the only thing stopping you is YOU. You see, running is just a physical manifestation of what he's programmed his mind to do. Most runners at this level have been running and winning races from junior high, through the college level and beyond. Tony believes that when you pour your mind, heart, strength and soul into anything that you believe in or want badly enough you CAN do it! Any limitations that people think they have are simply self-imposed limitations and can be overcome!
Tony's been practicing and preaching the power of positive thinking on a daily basis through the use of meditation and visualization, in addition to using yoga and self-healing techniques like Reiki and proper nutritional supplementation. He has a background in Mixed-Martial Arts Fighting and Boxing (he teaches a Reality Self Defense system). He's a certified Personal Trainer Cardio-kickboxing instructor, Yoga teacher, and Reiki Master/Teacher.
As you can see, he has quite a background upon which to draw. Tony teaches all of these techniques to individuals as well as groups. He gives motivational lectures on CRASHING THE BARRIER of what one THINKS is one's full potential.
If you'd like to contact Tony for any reason you can reach him at (216) 965-9188 or email him at seetonyrun@hotmail.com
Links
Boys and Girls Club page on Tony's 27 Marathons in 2004
Cleveland Marathon Map
Tony's Personal Page
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