Orbana Healthy Energy Drink User Reviews

A brief admin note before today’s post: You have one more day to enter 2 contests: one for the 13.1 Marathon Los Angeles and the other for a tub of GU Roctane drink mix. Head over to this post to enter both contests, but be forewarned: the competition for the GU mix is pretty formidable.

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Today’s post is born from one of the most remarkable acts of generosity I’ve ever seen from a product sponsor.

Back in October, I did one of my typical review and giveaway posts for Orbana healthy energy drink, with the stipulation that the winners would send me their feedback for a follow-up post. Shortly after I chose the winners, the company rep offered a seemingly crazy proposition: the company wanted to provide samples for ALL of the people who entered.

And that’s exactly what happened: everyone who entered that contest was sent a few samples of Orbana to try, on the condition that they would send feedback for this review post. Unfortunately, I didn’t get 100% return on user feedback – on a related note, if you received samples and never sent me your review, shame and bad contest karma on you – but I still collected a fairly significant sample size, whose feedback makes up the remainder of this post. (Yes, it’s a long one).

The ground rules for this were very straightforward: Be honest. I wanted true feedback, good or bad. As you’ll see, the good feedback far outweighs the bad. Some users also posted reviews on their own websites, so in those cases I’ve included an excerpt here and a link to their sites for the full review.

Finally, if you need the original links, here’s my previous Orbana review, and here's the link to buy Orbana from Amazon.com. On with the user reviews:

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From Chris:

I tested it at a 30-mile trail race on a 10-mile loop at McNaughton Park in Pekin, IL. I started with a 20oz water bottle mixed with Orbana. At the 5 mile mark, I'd be done with the drink and simply fill my bottle with pure water for the next 5 miles. At the start/finish area, I'd refill with water and mix in the Orbana. I used 3 packets for the three 10-mile loops. It would have been nice to have more Orbana at the mid-point aid station so I would be drinking it for the full 30 miles.

I did feel the drink worked better than just water and better than my typical Gatorade. It tasted fine, gave no energy highs/lows, and supplied a modest amount of electrolytes. I think the calories, and extra vitamins and amino acids, helped provide a bit more energy than I've had in recent runs and races. For what it's worth, I did feel better AFTER the race than I typically do.

My main complaint with this drink is that it's rather expensive and bulky to carry. I can find solutions to the bulkiness (loop courses, drop bags, friends/crew, etc). The cost is another issue, but if it really does make a positive difference, it would be worth the price. I'll buy a bigger supply and try it out on some fall and winter long runs (20+ milers). I'm willing to pay extra for a product that would get me through a long ultra marathon. For now, I think it's a good product with high potential for endurance athletes. I'd suggest other runners giving it a try.

See Chris’s full review here on his website.

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From James:

I used a packet mid race at a 50k trail event this past weekend. My honest opinion is this... the taste is fine. Tangy, citrus like, not too sweet and so much more palatable than Vespa (not to mention more affordable). Dare I say even better tasting than the new Nuun flavor I was also using? Unfortunately, about a mile after filling my handheld bottle I wiped out on the trail, awesome spread eagle, face first type of action, and wasted a bunch my fluid in the process. I decided against putting the newly made puddle of mud in my mouth. However, I really did feel a boost in my energy level for maybe an hour. I had been struggling with fatigue for a few miles before that.

(My reply: obviously Orbana needs to include some balance-enhancing agents for their next formulation.)

**
From Andrew:

Overall I found the Orbana to be very beneficial. I find that the claims made are an accurate representation of what the product is capable of in both usage and performance. I liked it so much that I went ahead and ordered a whole tub to use in my daily fueling activities. I will not
hesitate to recommend Orbana to anyone looking to add a new fueling product or replace an old one. So glad that I got this opportunity to test out this great product.

See Andrew’s full review here on his website.

**
From Mike:

I am currently training for the Walt Disney World Half Marathon in January (my second Half), and right now I am running about 25-30 miles per week. I received two packets of the Orbana powder, and I used it in two different scenarios: (1) As a pre-run drink before a 10-mile race; and (2) As a replenishment drink instead of water during a 13-mile long run during training.

I had better experience using the Orbana as a pre-run drink. For the 10-mile race that I used it for, I felt very strong throughout the entire run and was able to keep a pace about 30-40 seconds per mile faster than my goal (this increased speed may have had as much to do with the course, but I feel that the Orbana definitely helped keep me well fueled). Normally for runs of 10 miles or more, I would carry and use an energy gel, and although the race I ran provided Hammer Gel, I felt fine and decided not to use it. I also felt fairly well hydrated throughout the race. Overall, I think the Orbana drink gave a nice boost without making me feel jittery or anxious.

For the 13-mile training run, the Orbana was fine as a replenishment drink, but it wasn't really to my liking. Although the Orbana has a pleasant taste, I still prefer just plain water for rehydration during a run.

As far as the taste of Orbana, it is pleasant and better than most sports drinks. It is considerably less sweet and sugary than other drinks, and doesn't have the "sweaty/salty" taste than some have. It doesn't taste great, but it has a somewhat pleasant citrus flavor that is easy enough to drink. The pre-run formulation was a bit strong and left an aftertaste in my mouth for awhile, but I think that is fairly typical of sports drinks.

I was impressed enough with Orbana that I plan on buying a box of it off Amazon and using it for my remaining long runs and my upcoming race, but only as the pre-run version.

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From Tomislav:

I got it a couple of days before the Lagvitrek 16-mile mountain race, and my plan was to use one sachet before and one sachet after the race. I was really pleasantly surprised by taste. It was much better than other BCAA stuff I used before and on a scale from 1 to 10 I give it a high 8.

Performance wise I didn't had any spikes and/or crashes during the race and my energy level was quite good through the whole race. I recovered only two days after the race so I give it two thumbs up.

I will probably not use it as my training and racing drink cause there are cheaper options available. For a recovery drink the price is on par with other stuff I use but with much better taste (other drinks with BCAA are usually bitter).

**
From Stephanie:

I'm not exactly a fast runner, so I was hoping to finish the 10-mile race I did in under 2 hours.

The morning of, I drank a packet at about 6:30, because it was a pretty decent drive to get to the start of the finish line. To me it tastes like the little cans of Dole Pineapple Juice, which is fine except I don't really like pineapple juice. It went down just fine, though, and no GI problems. I was very well hydrated, actually, and just fine in regards to energy for almost the whole race. I finished in 1:51:52, which is (I think) 11 sec/mi faster than McMillan predicted. Was it the Orbana? Who knows.

I'm willing to say that it kept me hydrated at least a little longer than plain water or Gatorade or Nuun would have and that it provided more and more sustained energy than any of the previous. (To be fair, water and Nuun don't have any sugar in them, so it would be disingenuous to expect actual energy from either.) It did take a little more prep time than one of the fizzy tabs, I guess--I ended up stirring it with a butter knife in a pint glass half full of water for probably a full minute. On the other hand, it didn't taste chemical-y at all and there were no strange aftertastes from various kinds of non-standard sugars.

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From Adam:

I started with dumping the Orbana mix in a 8-10 oz. glass of water. The mix made this strange looking blob in the water that would float for a bit, and when mixing it took a good while to get all of the product dissolved into the water. If anything that would have to be my biggest issue with the product, and definitely not a big deal.

Taste is awesome! I absolutely loved the citrus flavor of the mix, and had no issues downing the product once dissolved. The overall sensation of drinking it is that the drink is very refreshing. I do not like things overly sweet, and one thing I think Orbana succeeded at here is having an excellent balance of sweetness to citrus sourness.

Both times I used Orbana as directed before my activity. The first time I went out I had come home from work a little tired, and wasn't sure how I would feel on my run. I had planned a 5 mile trail run at a local trail system, and once I got out on the trail I felt a little sluggish. However, I seemed to get more energy as time went on, and by the middle to the end of the run I was feeling great. The second time I used the product I went for an 8 mile road run about a week and a half after getting a sinus infection. Once I started my longer run I again felt a little sluggish to start, but about 3 miles in I got into a groove that carried me to the end of the run. I had no expectations of what my pace might be like going into that longer run, but I maintained a pretty decent pace and felt very good at the end.

I would like to think Orbana helped me through those runs, but in all honesty I have no idea. I just can report that I seemed to have a pick-me-up a couple miles into each run I used the product for. That pick-me-up seemed to last the rest of my runs, and so leaves me wanting to purchase some more Orbana to try.

**
From Trinity:

Pros:

1. It comes in powder form.
2. Small travel packets are available. Nice for race day.
3. It didn't taste like an energy drink i.e. Gatorade or Powerade
4. I was experiencing some cramping in my calves on some of my long runs during training. I tried Orbana for a long run and did not have cramping. Coincidence or not it made me a happy runner.

Cons:

1. I know I should know my measurements better, but I don't know my metric very well and had to look it up. This would only be a problem the first time using.
2. I thought it took a lot of stirring and a little more time for the powder to dissolve.
3. The flavor was a little strong for me. I don't drink sodas, and find that sports drinks give me headaches on long runs. It had a reminiscent taste of my childhood i.e. Tang, and although it was reminiscent I don't care for the Tang flavor anymore.

Would I buy Orbana?

For the most part when running I enjoy just plain old water. But living in the hot Texas summers and running longer periods of time I know I need more. But I don't feel that my liquid intake needs to deceive me with overly sweetness to get me to drink. Just give me something that is mainly water with a few extra nutrients and I'm happy and my body's happy. I would probably not buy Orbana for this reason. If they could provide a product that would be less sweet and maybe provide a different flavor than yes. I appreciate their intention to provide the most nutritional sports drink out there on the market. And I wish them all the best.

**
From Jimi:

The first packet I drank before going to my cardio kickboxing class. It was a little clumpy, but that was my fault, as I don't think I mixed it well enough. Taste was good...subtle. I liked it.

Here's the kicker. I actually did notice something different after my kickboxing class. Every class before that one and every class since that one, I've always had to get a drink of water whenever the instructor gives us 45 seconds in between routines to relax. This was the only class that I didn't feel the need to stop and get water. It wasn't until after class that I was thinking about Orbana that I realized "Hey, I didn't have to drink any water during class".

The next packet I drank before going out on a mini brick (bike + run). To be honest, I didn't really notice anything special about the workout. It was a good workout and I wasn't extra thirsty or anything, but I still felt like I needed the same amount of fluids.

However, the experience I had with Orbana during my cardio kickboxing class makes me think that this is indeed a good product.

**
From Frazer:

As for flavor, the first time I had it, I loved the taste. I have basically been drinking Gatorade and recently switched to HEED, so Orbana was a nice break from the ordinary flavors. The second time I had it, the flavor was not nearly as tasty as I remembered, but it was not bad.

As for performance, the first time I had it, I had a good training run and no issues, but I did not notice anything especially wonderful or amazing and the recovery seemed normal also. On Thursday, I went out and PR'd a 10K, at a pace that was my second best among all races. I felt incredible during the run; I was pushing pretty hard and overall, it was probably the best feeling run I have ever had. Also, I was not especially sore considering the effort I put forth to make this happen. I am not sure that its the Orbana, but that was basically the only thing that was different.

I would get some more, but I would definitely need a sale or discount because, in the words of Cosmo Kramer, "retail is for suckers" unless I am supporting a local store or company I really like. All that to say, I liked it and would get more and use it regularly, depending on the cost.

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From Lisa:

I was very interested to try Orbana because, on the recommendation of my nutritionist, I have been mixing a “home brew” BCAA drink that I use for muscle recovery after exercise. Honestly, my home brew tastes like crap. I was very curious about how Orbana would be able to mask the distinctive bitter taste of the BCAAs.

Orbana tastes predominately like citrus, with a distinctive pineapple flavor. I used two dilutions, and swished both around in my mouth and consciously searched for the bitter BCAA flavor. It just wasn’t there. Orbana has successfully masked the flavor of the BCAAs. However, my home brew has more than twice the amount of BCAAs as Orbana, and Orbana also has a lot more calories than my home brew.

I like Orbana a lot. I like that it is all natural, with no artificial colors, sweeteners, preservatives, or synthetic gunk. Orbana has succeeded beyond my expectations in masking the flavor of BCAAs. This energy drink was formulated for the hard-core endurance athlete, and I think Orbana’s status as a great-tasting natural drink can gain a footing in the endurance product market.

See Lisa’s full review here on her Facebook page.

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From David:

The drink itself is quite palatable and does not give the sickly sugary feeling when the water is not cold. Somehow the taste and smell were vaguely reminiscent of the McDonald’s orange juice I so liked in ages past. The citrus-pineapple taste is free from the usual acidic feeling from citric acid - although the taste is subtle, it was a bit much for me since I’m not a pineapple fan.

I am not a big sports drink fan since I usually have problem digesting them and experience gastric weirdness on long runs from the caffeine and truck load of sugar, but Orbana mix is pretty easy to digest, no burps and no upset stomach … sweet “nada”.

Thanks to the nice mix of amino-acid and electrolytes, it is also a good hang-over remedy: drink one glass of water mixed with Orbana before going to bed after a big party, and the morrow is less painful by far …

Bottom line is, Orbana offers a great product. If they were to offer a different flavour (like one that does not taste like pineapple) I would definitely buy a box.

**

So there you have it: perhaps the most exhaustive, comprehensive review on any single product in the history of this blog. Obviously, I owe a very big thanks to the Orbana company for providing so many samples for review. You can purchase their product here from Amazon.com.



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Soft Star Merry Jane Review

There’s nothing like closing out a good year on a high note … and this month, Soft Star has released a new moccasin that’s really the icing on the cake to celebrate a very impressive 2011.

Obviously, for me the Soft Star highlight of 2011 was running 100 miles in my RunAmocs – but setting aside the whole minimalist running phenomenon for a minute, Soft Star accomplished something else quite extraordinary this year: they made it possible for all of us to wear moccasins to work.

First it was the RunAmoc Dash, which was ostensibly created as a running model – and which I wear-tested for 50 muddy miles in March – but was quickly adopted by office workers who realized the smooth black leather option looks remarkably like a traditional office shoe – except, you know, without the heel and midsole and stiffness and narrow toe box or any other evils of modern footwear.

Unfortunately, this only benefited Soft Star’s male clientele, so in order to achieve workplace equality, the next logical step was to develop a work-friendly shoe for the ladies. And with that, the Merry Jane was born.

Soft Star Merry Janes!

But before we get to the details, two quick notes about the name: yes, that’s the correct spelling, and no, I don’t really like it*. I mean, it’s kind of neat right now with the holidays upon us and all, but I suspect these shoes will get especially popular in the summertime - and it might seem kind of odd to order something in July with a product name that sort of sounds like Christmas. But perhaps that’s just me being quirky – because aside from the name, there’s not a whole lot to complain about with Soft Star’s new Mary Merry Janes.

(*Apparently I’m vastly outnumbered, because when Soft Star took a poll on their Facebook page, people overwhelmingly loved the name. Just one more reason for me to dislike Facebook.)

From a functional standpoint, the coolest thing about the Merry Jane is that they’re equally suitable for a professional setting, casual use, or good old-fashioned child’s play. The stock colors are black and chocolate brown, either of which can easily complement formal office attire. However, if you’re like the girls in my family, you can customize your colors to show off your personality a little bit.

For example, you can make the heel color different from the toe color, as my wife did with this pair that kind of reminds me of a lipstick container, or you can go with some eye-catching options …

… such as this pink model my oldest daughter wears. She’s the more “girly” of my two daughters – the one who loves dolls and enjoys nurturing people (mostly her father) with massages or baking cookies – but she also likes to catch people’s attention. So it didn’t surprise me at all that this was the color she picked.

My youngest daughter is perpetually sunny and cheerful, so the lemon option she chose fits her nicely as well. She’s also the adventurer / explorer of the family – and this color just screams “I can’t wait to get these things dirty!”

Remember what I said about child’s play? Soft Star’s Merry Janes are also available in youth sizes, where the stock colors are fuchsia (the pink pair above), platinum, and black. Construction of the adult and youth versions is essentially identical … which reminds me that we really haven’t started the spec rundown yet.

Like most Soft Star mocs, the Merry Jane consists of a two-part leather upper – but in this case the midfoot area is scooped low to create the classic Mary Jane styling. The adult version weighs in at just over 4oz on my kitchen scale, although weight will be somewhat variable depending on the size – regardless, these will certainly be among the lightest shoes in your collection.

One primary departure from normal Mary Janes is that the strap doesn’t really buckle into place; instead, it’s attached by Velcro to make for easy on/off – a convenience feature for adults, and an extremely helpful feature for little fingers when you’re rushing to make the school bell in the morning. If you prefer, you can also remove the buckle completely for a more casual look.

The interior lining of the uppers and the insole consists of soft suede that all of my testers reported feels quite comfortable against bare skin. There isn’t any traditional insole or footbed with these shoes – just a suede layer on top of the outsole in a simply minimal, back-to-basics arrangement.

For the Merry Jane outsole, Soft Star went with the same Vibram outsole that is used on their adult Rambler, which is designed for durable outdoor use. The outsole is 5mm thick, which combined with the suede insole lining gives the Merry Jane a total standing height of approximately 7mm. It is also fairly soft, and over a period of several days it will mold slightly to your foot for a practically custom fit.

More importantly, the outsole is completely flexible, allowing your foot to bend and flex in any direction necessary. Encouraging natural foot movement has been Soft Star’s specialty from the very beginning, and it’s great to see that as the product line expands, they haven’t lost sight of this most critical element of shoe construction.

So despite my objection to the name, I’m really a big fan of the Soft Star Merry Janes – because they look cool, they’re extremely versatile and functional, and they are as minimal as minimal can be. Best of all, my wife and daughters all love wearing them – and anything that gives the ladies in my life happy feet is highly valued in my book.

If you want some happy feet of your own, here are your links from the company website:

Soft Star Merry Jane women’s version in black – prices starting at $75.

Soft Star Merry Jane women’s in chocolate brown – starting at $75.

Soft Star Merry Jane youth version in fuchsia – starting at $54.

Soft Star Merry Jane youth in platinum – starting at $54.

Soft Star Merry Jane youth in black – starting at $54.


*Products provided by Soft Star
**See other product reviews on sidebar at right. If you have a product you’d like reviewed, contact me at info@runningandrambling.com.



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Altra Adam Shoe Review and Discount Code

When I reviewed Altra’s Intuition shoe this summer, I described how the company has obviously done its homework about what natural runners are looking for. They also offer something for almost everyone in the new running paradigm: the Intuition and Instinct are zero-drop trainers that are the natural running counterpart to traditional trainers, while the Adam (along with its female partner Eve) is a pure minimalist model that I’ve been testing for the past few months.

The Adam combines many of the features I love about minimalist footwear, with only one noteworthy drawback that I’d like to see improved upon. For a first-time offering, however, it’s really quite impressive, and strikes me as something of a combination of my two favorite minimalist brands: Vibram and Soft Star.

Altra Adam

Think of it this way: if you took an old-school Vibram KSO and did away with the toe pockets, and instead made a roomy, comfortable toe box like a moccasin, you’d have something very close to the Adam. By appearances, the Adam bears a strong likeness to Vibram, and tends to draw a lot of comparisons to that groundbreaking KSO model. I actually find some of the specs on the Adam to be superior to the KSOs, such as its overall weight of 4.7 oz (compared to 5.7 for the KSO) and some other points I’ll mention shortly.

Mesh uppers with dual Velcro straps

The Adam’s uppers are composed of a breatheable mesh that’s very similar to the KSO, along with two separate straps that help secure the foot in place. I found that if I pulled the midfoot strap too tight, I had some discomfort at the base of my pinky toes, but the good news is that I didn’t really have to cinch either strap very much at all to get a secure fit. The toe box is very roomy without allowing excessive movement of the foot on the insole. Combined with a gender-specific last, the feel of the upper is very slipper-like around the foot, almost (but not quite) comparable to Soft Star’s Moc3.

One of the major advantages of having a single toebox instead of toe pockets is warmth – and with the Adam, my feet tend to stay comfortable at temperatures about 10-15 degrees colder than I’d attempt to wear my Vibrams. However, the mesh is also quite breatheable, so your toes won’t overheat in hot weather.

Strengthening insole in place; compare with 2 photos down

There isn’t a lacing system on the Adam, but unlike some Vibram models, the mesh is flexible enough that it’s easy to work your foot into the upper. Loop straps in front and behind the ankle are helpful in getting the heel in place.

That's a fig leaf ... just like the original Adam wore

The heel collar of the Adam is similar in appearance to another Vibram model – in this case the Bikila. It’s got just the right amount of padding to provide comfort without adding excess bulk, and stays very secure on the heel even in muddy conditions or on irregular terrain.

Internal seams on footbed

Like all Altra shoes, the Adam comes with two insole options: a support insole that has a slight arch and a little bit of padding, and a strengthening insole that is completely flat and less than 2mm thick. You could remove the insoles entirely, but I prefer to leave them in due to some mild irritation from longitudinal seams on the interior footbed surface.

3.4mm razor-siped rubber outsole

Adam’s outsole is extremely similar to Vibram’s siped rubber KSO outsole, and at 3.4mm is just barely thinner than the KSO’s 3.5mm spec. I’ve found the Adam to be much more flexible in all directions while offering a similar ground feel as the KSOs. Traction is outstanding for road running, and is generally decent for trail conditions except on steep hills with mud or loose gravel. It’s ideally suited for hybrid use, such as a run I did on Thanksgiving morning.

Our family was signed up for a trail 5K at a park in Salinas – but because I knew I’d eat more than 5K worth of food that day, I decided to wake up early and run to the course. My route ended up including about 14 miles on roads and 5 on trails; it had also rained the night before, so trail conditions were wet but not terribly sloppy. The Adams went seamlessly back and forth from one surface to the other, and kept my feet cozy and comfortable even after several hours of wet wear.

Making my way to the Salinas Valley, Thanksgiving 2011

However, for my ultrarunning purposes, I prefer an outsole with a bit more grip to it, and this is the primary drawback I have with the Adam. Coincidentally, it also happens to be the main criticism I had when reviewing the KSO. Of course, Vibram kept tinkering with their outsole designs for dedicated trail use, and there’s no reason to suspect that Altra won’t do something similar in future iterations of the Adam. They do have a more aggressive outsole on their zero-drop Lone Peak, and if Altra could combine a bit of the Lone Peak’s traction with the current design of the Adam, it would vault very close to the top of my list of favorites.

Outstanding flexibility; razor sipes visible on curled outsole

For the time being, the Adam is a very attractive minimalist option for general all-purpose use, especially for those who are reluctant to wear Vibrams or want something a little more sporty than moccasins. It draws from both of those concepts and has some clear advantages over each one, with potential to become even more compelling in the future, particularly for trail running. Given what I’ve seen from Altra in their premiere models, I’m excited to see what the future brings from them.

The Altra Adam retails for $100 from the company website but if you use this link to do your shopping, a 10% discount will be deducted from your purchase price at checkout.

*Product provided by Altra
**See other product reviews on sidebar at right. If you have a product you’d like reviewed, contact me at info@runningandrambling.com.



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13.1 Los Angeles Entry Giveaway; GU Roctane Drink Mix Giveaway; Random Shots of Beauty

Last Friday afternoon I received two opportunities to offer cool prizes for the right kind of readers - the trouble is, I have no idea who those readers might be. Furthermore, I have no experience with either product to tell you anything insightful about them, although in one case I’m going to be quite envious of the winner.

But first, since I was a slacker on my normal weekend posting, here’s a quick Random Shot of Beauty:

An evergreen vista in the Santa Cruz Mountains, as seen from the Christmas tree farm our family has been patronizing for 30 years. As usual, we came home with a tree that looked significantly bigger in the back of the truck than it did when it was still standing in the forest. As to how it looks when it’s decorated, perhaps that will be the subject of an upcoming RSOB.

On to the giveaways …

**
The first offer is a free entry to the 13.1 Marathon (kind of a confusing name, but it is indeed a half-marathon) taking place in Los Angeles on January 15, 2012. A PR person offered me an entry, but considering that 1) road races aren’t really my thing nowadays, and 2) I don’t live in Los Angeles anymore, I figured the opportunity was better suited for somebody else. When I suggested as much to the contact person, we worked out a scenario for a giveaway.

Here’s the deal: if you want a free entry to this race, leave a comment below this post and I’ll pick somebody at random as my winner. I’ll send you a code for free online registration, and all of the other logistics are up to you. After the race, you agree to write a brief race report and/or offer some constructive feedback for the race committee about your experience at the event.

I don’t endorse or promote races I’ve never done, so I have no idea whether this event will be a bust or a smashing success.  (On a related note, if you win the contest and the race turns out to suck, don't complain to me.)  I do know that 2012 marks the third year for this particular race, and that it’s part of a larger half marathon series with eight events nationwide. The course traverses a quintessential Southern California backdrop, starting in Venice Beach and looping around Marina Del Rey before taking a long out and back down the coastline and finishing in Playa Del Rey. It’s also pancake flat, so it would make a great course for a first-time half-marathoner or anyone looking to blaze a new PR.

I figure I must have some readers in SoCal who might be interested - or some non-SoCal runners who would be interested in visiting LA in the middle of winter - so if you’re one of them, let me know in the comments, and I’ll announce the winner here next Saturday night.

**
This next contest is the one I’m envious of, because you’ll get the opportunity to test an as-yet-unreleased product that I haven’t even laid eyes on yet. What’s more, it’s from one of my favorite companies, GU Energy.

Their PR person sent me a surprise e-mail announcing GU’s Roctane Drink mix, which apparently is to standard GU Brew what GU Roctane is to standard GU energy gels: a unique formulation specifically designed for long aerobic endurance activities. Because I train with GU Brew on a daily basis, and since I’ve used Roctane gel for virtually every long run and ultra I’ve done over the past year or two, the rep pretty much had me at hello.

Sorry the pic is so small ... they only sent me a lo-res thumbnail

And then … well, I’m not really in the mood to talk about it, so I’ll just copy excerpts from her e-mail here:


Sounds great, right? Well … sorry, it’s not for you. It’s for your readers. Specifically, it’s for your Reader of the Year.


Roctane Drink isn’t available to the general public yet, but in the company’s tradition of hands-on athlete development, we would like to extend an exclusive product testing opportunity for one lucky reader.


We’d love to reward your most loyal fan and send one tub of the drink to them, as well as a complimentary GU Sample Pack for them to test out. There are only 29 sample tubs of the powdered drink mix in existence; you announce the giveaway, and we’ll handle all of the fulfillment from here.


Needless to say, this bums me out a little bit – not only because I don’t get to try any for myself, but also because I have no Earthly idea how to determine who my most loyal reader might be. I actually made an argument to the rep that I could be considered my own most loyal reader – after all, I've read every single one of my own posts, something that probably nobody else can claim – but my pleas fell on deaf ears.

So congratulations, everybody but me: you have an opportunity to test a sweet new product from perhaps the best sports nutrition company around. Meanwhile, I’m going to keep reminding myself to handle this situation gracefully.

As for how we run this contest, I’m not really interested in having anyone prove their loyalty or otherwise suck up to me in any way. Therefore, I’m leaving the creative aspect up to you, and making one simple ground rule: if you want to win a sample tub of Roctane drink mix, tell me why I should pick you. Maybe you have a big event coming up, maybe you have some special dietary concern, or maybe you can just make me laugh somehow. I have no idea what I’m looking for, really – but hopefully I’ll know it when I see it.

Leave a comment stating your case below this post, and I’ll choose the answer I like the best to receive the prize. The winner will be announced next Saturday night along with the race contest winner above. (In case you’re wondering: yes, it’s OK to enter both contests at once.) Thanks very much to sponsors GU Company and US Road Sports & Entertainment Group, and good luck to everyone!



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Good Times, Bad Times: The Ric Munoz Story, Part 2

“Good times, bad times, you know I’ve had my share … “
- Led Zeppelin, “Good Times Bad Times” (video after post)

**
If you tuned in yesterday, you read the tale of Ric Munoz, an HIV-positive ultrarunner who gained a measure of celebrity from a landmark Nike commercial in the 1990s. Today’s post is a companion piece to that article, offering a little more insight into the journey Ric has experienced as a runner and an HIV advocate.

One of the things that registers with me most profoundly is inadvertent heroism: regular people who unexpectedly face extraordinary circumstances, and rise to the occasion by transforming themselves or others (or often both) in order to overcome the adversity that was thrust upon them. Ric fits that description fairly well; he’d be the first to tell you that he didn’t seek the twists and turns he encountered, but rather, one event led to another, and then to another, and so on. And before you know it, he’s out there inspiring people.

As for the commercial: there’s only one recording of it available on YouTube, and the picture quality is honestly pretty bad. However, it’s decent enough that you can appreciate its visual and emotional impact, from the serenity of Ric floating through Malibu Canyon State Park to the message delivered silently but powerfully with title cards. From my standpoint, the impact was powerful enough that when I saw Ric’s name again some 15 years later, the mental connection wasn’t very far out of reach.

“HIV Runner”, by Nike (click to play):



And now, some excerpts from my interview with Ric Munoz, an everyday runner who has overcome more than his share of obstacles.


Q: Give me a brief overview of your running life before the Nike ad was made. At what age did you start running? What led you to start?

A: I began running in the spring of 1983 at age 25. It was strictly a fluke thing that got me started as I had zero experience (or interest) in the sport. Everything I’ve ever accomplished I owe completely to my friend Teri Tait Gabrielsen – her dogged determination to get me to run thoroughly shaped my destiny.


Q: What are some of your PRs and proudest achievements?

A: 5K: 17:26, June 1992. 10K: 35:40, July 1992. Half Marathon: 1:20:09, January 1993. Marathon: 2:44:13, June 1992

Some of my proudest running achievements, in no particular order:

* 33 sub-3-hour marathon finishes, including 4 sub-2:50s;
* Lifetime average finishing time for the 155 marathons I’ve completed: 3:17:44
* Marathon victory (2:53:21) in December ’98 in Olympia, WA;
* 17 Boston Marathon finishes
* Finishing the 2010 Mother Road 100-Miler in Oklahoma in 29:43:30. I ran the first 50 miles in 9:44:33 while the second half took me 19:58:57 – I felt like quitting at least 100 times, especially when the nighttime temperature got down to 30 degrees. This was a defining moment in my ultramarathoning career – I’ve never felt more miserable in a race. But I got to experience how instantly that misery disappears when the finish line is crossed.
* Running the final 4 miles of the 1991 New York City Marathon backwards – completely unplanned - after my knee blew out at mile 22.

2:44 marathon PR at Grandma's, 1992

Q: What was the your understanding of HIV when you were diagnosed, especially regarding treatment options and life expectancy? What was the experience of some of your HIV+ friends? How did your family react?

A: Friends and acquaintances of mine began dying as early as 1982 and because their deaths were so rapid, I assumed the life expectancy would be very brief after diagnosis. This was scary stuff for a 23-year-old to embrace, but there really wasn’t anything to do except wait and see.

Our running club (Los Angeles Frontrunners) lost at least a dozen members in the 80s alone. Just imagine your own running club and how you’d react to suddenly losing that many members in the space of a few years. For me personally, my two best friends died, one in ’87 at age 33 and the other in ’89 at age 32. It became a mentally challenging game of me waiting for the “other shoe to drop.”

After Ric's first marathon in 1983, with Frontrunner teammate Brad Radke

Despite all this, I remained relatively calm, primarily because I studied the co-factors that the medical community identified as accelerants. That specifically included people who used recreational drugs and drank beer/wine/alcohol (such as my two best friends had done) – they were at much higher risk to develop the full-blown disease. I had not (and have never) indulged in any of those things, so that gave me a ray of hope that I would be spared somehow.

I never discussed the HIV with my family, which consisted of one sole relative, my mother. She was dealing with her own health crisis at the time (terminal breast cancer), so I didn’t want to add to her burden by worrying her with my own. She ultimately died in early 1989. The experience of witnessing how she faced her challenge head-on helped me tremendously to cope with the HIV; her emotional response to the cancer was stoic, matter-of-fact and seemingly fearless. The time I spent with her over the last few months of her life taught me a lot about her mental toughness and I vowed to keep learning from her example as the uncertain future with HIV loomed.


Q: What has your HIV treatment regimen been like over the years? What is your treatment regimen today? And if it's OK to ask, how much does your medical treatment cost from year to year, and do you have any resources to help you afford it?

A: Antiretroviral drugs known as protease inhibitors (PIs) were introduced in the late 90s, and these were the drugs that righted my rapidly sinking ship. I firmly believe that if the PIs had not become available when they did, I very likely would have succumbed to the HIV right around the time I was dealing with the cryptosporidiosis. Comparing notes with other HIV patients over the years, I came to learn the PIs arrived just in the nick of time for them, too. For many of us who managed to “hang on” throughout the 80s and most of the 90s, the PIs definitely saved our lives.

Once my immune system was revitalized by the PI regimen, I was able to eventually stop that regimen; the PI drugs were extremely uncomfortable to take, as many as 18 pills per day, with very unpleasant gastrointestinal side effects. When the NRTI (nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor) class of drugs were introduced, my doctor shifted my treatment to those. These are the treatment drugs I’ve used since the early 2000s.

The combined cost of the two drugs I’m currently on is roughly in the neighborhood of $15,000 per year. Fortunately – and I must stress the word fortunately – health insurance provided by my employer covers the lion’s share of those costs, along with my ongoing check-ups. My husband Seth is HIV positive, and is also covered by my health plan – we’re very fortunate that my employer provides health insurance to same-sex spouses.


Q: Do you have any stories about getting recognized from the commercial?

A: One thing I took great pride in happened about 3 years after the commercial debuted. I was running the Blue Angel Marathon in Pensacola, FL in February ’98 on the day of my 40th birthday (the first and only time I got to do a “birthday” race). My goal that day was to just relax and have a fun, stress-free race. About 10 miles into it, a young man in his early 20s tapped me on the shoulder and asked if I was “that guy in the Nike commercial.” I replied yes and added how amazed I was that he remembered. He then asked if I was trying to break 3 hours, and hoped that I was, because that was his goal. But he’d never run that fast before and wasn’t sure he could do it on his own.

I told him I wasn’t planning to run hard (it was my birthday!). I nevertheless saw how important it seemed to be to him, so I finally said “OK” and in offering to pace him, I told him to be prepared to endure a fair amount of discomfort and pain – the latter, I said, would be temporary while the memory of a PR would last forever. Sixteen miles later, he finished in 2:59:02, just ahead of my 2:59:05 and he earned first place in his age division. Helping a complete stranger almost half my age achieve that goal was one of the highlights of my career and a great birthday present to myself – all thanks to the Nike commercial.


Q: What are your running-related goals now? Are there any particular races or events you want to do, or adventures you want to take on?

A: I think the only worlds left to conquer are the multi-day events (48-hour, 72-hour, etc.). I’d also like to run under 20 hours for 100 miles, but that’s a pretty lofty goal, especially for an old mongrel like me. I timed out at mile 35 of this year’s Western States 100, so I’d like to go back to that race one year and complete the whole distance.

At Western States in 2011; Ric has unfinished business there.

My favorite race of all time is the Comrades ultra in South Africa. I would run that race every year forever if I could – my three finishes there were the most fun I’ve ever at any race, anywhere, anytime. The Spartathlon 153-miler in Greece is my only dream race, but I’m much too slow to have any hope of finishing, so I’ll have to experience that one vicariously through others.


Q: Anything else you'd like to tell me about your running, your health status or medical experience, World AIDS Day, or anything else?

A: Here’s a non-running story you might enjoy, especially because you’re a fan of popular music:

Long before running and HIV entered my life, I was a rock and roll super-fan during my teenage years. Along the way I made the acquaintance of Cameron Crowe, a staff writer at Rolling Stone during his own teenage years. Being a fellow Southern California resident, Cameron would see me at many of the major rock concerts that rolled through the L.A. area. One day, in September 1975, he asked me to sit down for an interview and explained he was doing a story for Rolling Stone that would focus on super-fans like me. The story ultimately never ran in the magazine, but I got to keep the photos Cameron’s photographer took that day during the interview. Cameron and I lost touch, of course, as we grew older.

Fast forward to the fall of 2000. I’m sitting in my neighborhood cineplex enjoying the latest film written and directed by Cameron, “Almost Famous.” About 30 minutes into the film, a character appears on the screen. It takes me a microsecond to realize that the character is me, circa 1975! The scene introduces a crazed Led Zeppelin fan marching up and down the lobby of the Continental Hyatt House Hotel while crowing about how the members of Led Zeppelin touched the pen he’s holding in his hand.

That very same scene actually happened in March of 1975, when I ditched high school and hung out in the lobby of that hotel hoping to get the members of Led Zeppelin to autograph one of their album covers. And when I succeeded in doing so, I walked around the lobby of the hotel exclaiming, “Robert Plant touched this pen! Jimmy Page touched this pen! John Paul Jones touched this pen!” Cameron was hanging in the lobby and pulled me aside to get the story of how I got the band members to sign my album cover.

Who knew that 25 years later that scene would appear in his movie? And if there was any doubt in my mind (there was zero doubt) that the character in the film was me, when the end credits began to roll, they listed the character as VIC MUNOZ (portrayed by actor Jay Baruchel). Not that I needed any proof, but there it was – I assume he didn’t use Ric Munoz for the character name because he didn’t get permission from me to use my real name.

It was nonetheless a thrill to see it unfold on screen. It’s now 11 years later and I still can’t believe Cameron put me in his film. I’ve tried reaching him over the years to thank him, but to no avail.

**

Obviously, I owe a huge thanks to Ric for being the focus of my series this week. And in honor of Ric’s super-fandom, one Led Zeppelin tune seems like a perfectly fitting title.

Led Zeppelin, “Good Times, Bad Times” (click to play):





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Running For Life: The Ric Munoz Story

About a year and a half ago, I received a surprise e-mail from a reader who was just writing to say that he liked my website. I get notes like that from time to time – honestly, it’s one of the greatest joys of having a blog – and this particular one didn’t stand out one way or the other.

It wasn’t until I saw the name of the writer, Ric Munoz, that something began to register in my head. It took me a few seconds, but I finally reached back far enough into the mental vault to make the connection – and even then, I wasn’t entirely sure about it. Could that be the same guy? I have no idea whatever happened to him.

I figured the only way to find out for sure was to ask … so in my return e-mail, I threw in this query at the end: Hey - would you happen to be the guy who was in a Nike commercial back in the 1990s?

My initial instinct was correct, as Ric Munoz was indeed the same guy I first noticed in one of the most memorable commercials I’ve ever seen. The fact that he was still alive seemed pretty impressive to me – and as we exchanged more e-mails and I got a fuller sense of his journey over the past 25 years, I realized that his story is even more amazing now than it was back then.

I asked if he was willing to be interviewed sometime, he immediately agreed … and then it took me nearly 18 months to finally get around to taking him up on it. My slacker-ness worked out pretty well, however, when I started eyeing dates to potentially publish a Monterey Herald article about him this fall.

Our column appears in the newspaper every other Thursday, and this year our publication date happens to fall on December 1st, otherwise known as World AIDS Day. It seemed like the ideal occasion to share the story of an individual who shares my passion for ultrarunning while simultaneously providing hope and inspiration for everyone whose lives have been impacted by HIV or AIDS.

I’m breaking this presentation into two parts: today is the extended feature I wrote about Ric, portions of which appear in today’s Herald. Even though I was granted an extended word count, my editor still made me slash about half of my original submission – but the story is really best told in long form. Pour yourself a tall cup of coffee if necessary, then settle in; if the piece is even remotely as uplifting for you to read as it was for me to write, you’ll be glad you did.

Tomorrow, I’ll publish excerpts from my interviews with Ric – along with portions that didn’t make it to the newspaper article – and embed the Nike commercial that piqued my interest in this whole story in the first place.


**
Running Life 12/1/11                “Running for Life”

In January 1987, Ric Munoz sat stoically inside a health clinic, waiting to hear news that he long expected. He was a 28-year-old marathoner who was logging increasing mileage and faster race times with each passing year. He also had very good reason to believe that he might soon be dead.

Munoz’s fears were confirmed that day: his physician informed him that he was HIV+, and that his life expectancy might be as brief as a handful of months. However, on this World AIDS Day 2011, nearly 25 years later, Munoz is not only still among the living, but remains a talented and successful runner well into his 6th decade of life. His story represents not only the tremendous advances in the medical fight against AIDS, but also the healing, life-sustaining benefits that running offers to all of us.

Along the way, he enjoyed 15 minutes of celebrity fame thanks to Nike – but by the time the company discovered him, Munoz had already been been inspiring people and defying conventional wisdom for years. He welcomed the opportunity to be interviewed – at one time, it was something he was very accustomed to – to share the long, strange, often scary but ultimately uplifting adventure his life took after being diagnosed with HIV.

His story began in the spring of 1983, when his friend Teri Tait Gabrielsen kept pestering him to run a 10K with her. Munoz trained with Teri for a few days, mainly so she’d stop nagging him, and he ultimately finished the 10K race. As it often happens with new runners, 10Ks soon turned into marathons, and Munoz discovered his love for the sport. It’s very likely that his journey would have taken a much different turn if not for his “nagging” friend, and Munoz now says that, “Everything I’ve ever accomplished is owed completely to Teri.”

Ric Munoz and Teri Tait Gabrielsen after the New York City Marathon, 1984

For the next few years, Munoz was what anyone would call a strong, healthy recreational runner; he trained 40 miles per week, and entered dozens of road races from 5Ks to marathons. However, he also harbored a nagging certainty that his life was increasingly at risk with each passing day, which ultimately led to his fateful clinic visit in 1987.

Munoz was “100% certain” of what the result would be. Gay media outlets had alerted people to the looming epidemic as early as 1981, and Munoz realized that he was too deep within the circle of impact to emerge unscathed. “If testing had been available in the late ‘70s or early ‘80s, I likely would have tested positive then, too, primarily because I was part of the group - sexually active gay men - that was at highest risk.” By the time the mid-1980s rolled around, Munoz had already lost several of his friends and running partners to AIDS-related illnesses.

Accordingly, he received the positive diagnosis with complete calm – in fact, he vividly remembers how stunned the person at the clinic was when Munoz heard his test results. “I’m pretty sure he expected everyone who got a positive test to break down and cry or otherwise collapse emotionally,” he recalls. When you’re 100% certain that something is going to happen, it’s tough to have a look of surprise when you find out you’re correct.

Under the surface, however, the notion of being HIV+ was terrifying. Fatality rates for HIV in the mid-1980s were in the high 90th percentile, making a positive diagnosis akin to a death sentence. Munoz had already seen many close friends die, usually in horrifying fashion as their bodies progressively deteriorated over a period of several months. “The fear level was indescribable,” he stated. “One guy in my neighborhood, upon learning that he definitely had AIDS, killed himself by drinking a bottle of Drano. He was convinced he had no chance to survive.” The pervading hopelessness was like almost nothing else in the history of modern public health.

Like any dedicated runner would do, Munoz used running as an outlet for his sadness, for his anxieties, for all the uncertainty and emotional thunderstorms that accompany such a dire circumstance. “I opted to accelerate my training and racing schedule immediately after the diagnosis,” he says. “I viewed it as counterproductive to wallow in worry or fear about the unknown.” His weekly mileage and training intensity sharply increased, and Munoz began running the fastest times of his life.

Columbus Marathon, 1992

He also noticed that he was very slow to develop any of the tell-tale symptoms of AIDS. At the time, there wasn’t any medical consensus about the impact of exercise in HIV patients, but many feared that physical strain would accelerate the disease process. Munoz challenged his physician: “I put my doctor on the spot and asked if pursuing distance running unchecked would cause the HIV to change from its dormant state to something actively harmful. When he replied, ‘I don’t know,’ that was enough information for me to roll the dice and carry on with my running – an activity I grew to be passionate about and a world I could retreat to indefinitely.”

It wasn’t until several years later that HIV specialists came to accept that physical activity does more help than harm – and it wasn’t until a high-profile superstar athlete contracted HIV that the athletic community felt the impact of what had previously been considered simply a “gay disease”. Ironically, Magic Johnson’s surprise retirement from the Los Angeles Lakers in November 1991 also triggered Ric Munoz’s rise to public prominence as an athlete who had been successfully battling HIV for years.

Munoz is a native Los Angeleno, so when his city went into a frenzy in the wake of Magic Johnson’s announcement, he wrote a letter to the editor of the Los Angeles Times. “I basically said people were overreacting to Johnson’s news, and that he should work to avoid the ‘death sentence mentality’ maintained by many who were HIV positive. With the right attitude, he still had a long life ahead of him,” he reports.

“Thank goodness I was right! I also pointed out all the marathons I’d run to that point (40) and how I never would have run them if I’d bought into the type of ‘it’s-just-a-matter-of-time-before-he-dies’ speculations that his fans and the media were ignorantly tossing Johnson’s way.” Munoz seemed like a lone voice in the wilderness at the time, but it was hard to argue with his own success: in June 1992, five years after being officially HIV+ and six months after Magic Johnson’s retirement, Munoz ran a lifetime-best 2:44 marathon. He was now running more than 10 marathons per year, and still not showing signs of the disease.

Munoz’s story was compelling enough that the Times did a profile of his marathoning and living with HIV. Over the next couple of years Munoz would be profiled by other publications including the New York Times – and in November 1994, he received a phone call from an advertising agency representing Nike. The company was inspired by his story, and recruited Munoz to appear in one of its popular “Just Do It” television ads.

“I’ll never forget the phone call,” he says, “from the creative executive asking if I’d be interested in appearing in the commercial. I thought he was kidding, of course. But after repeated assurances that Nike was very serious about doing the ad, I immediately agreed.” Sure, the personal exposure would be nice, but Munoz had a higher purpose in mind. “It also occurred to me that if I turned them down, there was a strong possibility the ad might never get made.”

The resulting commercial was filmed in one day on the trails of Malibu Canyon State Park. The director was Joe Pytka, a legendary ad industry figure who was also responsible for Nike’s “Bo Knows” series as well as the Larry Bird / Michael Jordan “Nothin’ But Net” spots for McDonald’s. It’s beautiful in its simplicity: interspersed among scenes of Munoz running on scenic trails, a series of black title cards appear onscreen: Ric Munoz, Los Angeles … 80 miles every week … 10 marathons every year … HIV positive.

Nike’s landmark “HIV Runner” spot premiered on February 9, 1995 during that night’s episode of ER. It had an immediate impact on the running community, and shattered popular misconceptions about living with HIV. Director Joe Pytka later said it was one of his proudest ads, and it was ultimately named one of the 50 greatest TV commercials of all time by Entertainment Weekly magazine. Munoz spent time hobnobbing at Nike headquarters in Oregon and became friends with company founder Phil Knight. The commercial aired globally, and Nike flew Munoz to London to help promote its original airing in England on World AIDS Day 1995.

Alberto Salazar and Ric Munoz at Nike Headquarters, 1995

Of course, fame doesn’t ensure ongoing health, and running doesn’t provide immunity from disease. Munoz had typically been reluctant to take AZT or DDI, the treatment drugs available at the time, because of their significant side effects. “My doctor respected my wishes, but also warned me that one day the HIV would be too strong for my immune system to handle,” he says. The doctor’s prediction came true in 1998, when Munoz acquired an opportunistic infection called cryptosporidiosis, and his T-cell count dropped significantly. Normal healthy individuals have a T-cell count between 500 and 1500, and a count below 200 in HIV+ individuals increases the risk of fatal infection. In mid-1998, Munoz’s T-cell count was 3; if he had deferred treatment just a bit longer, he most likely would have perished.

Fortunately for Munoz, his crisis coincided with the advance of antiretroviral medicines called protease inhibitors, and he finally relented to his doctor’s urging to try the new medications. His T-cell count began to rise, and the infection eventually was entirely cleared. The brush with death taught Munoz an important lesson: from that moment on, he reports, “I never doubted my doctor’s advice again” on the importance of a regular medication regimen.

He also never relented on his determination to push the limits of his athletic performance – and shortly after the deathly scare, Munoz turned his attention to ultramarathons. In November 1998 he completed his first 50-mile event, and for the past decade he has competed in some of the most famous ultramarathons in the world, including the Comrades 56-miler in South Africa, and the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Nowadays, however, he does so with the blessing of his medical team.

Comrades Marathon, 1999; first of three Comrades finishes

“My current doctor is a marathoner,” Munoz says. “Hearing me describe the six 100-milers I’ve completed over the past two years has gotten him thinking about trying an ultra himself; he’ll likely start by doing a 50K. He’s voiced no objection whatsoever to the ultra distances I’ve raced.” His physician monitors Munoz’s bloodwork closely and tests his T-cell count four times annually; last year, Munoz’s number was a robust 904, the highest count he’s ever recorded.

He has also enjoyed a string of good health enviable by anyone, regardless of their HIV status. “My health is really good these days, and it’s kept stable for at least the past 10 years,” he reports. “The last time I had a cold or flu was nearly two years ago. I can recall numerous times over the past few months when I’ve felt the rumblings of a cold coming on and then seen those rumblings disappear after I’ve gone out for a run.”

To date, Ric Munoz has completed 155 road marathons and 26 ultras, including six 100-mile finishes. He’s still a member of the Nike family, receiving free shoes and apparel, and he occasionally gets invited to the Nike campus to speak with employees or share his story for other promotional purposes. Sometimes he gets recognized at races, but he says, “So many years have passed since the commercial first aired, that makes it a less frequent occurrence.” As each race and each year go by, he becomes more like another face in the crowd – a notion that he wouldn’t have believed in his wildest dreams more than 20 years ago.

More importantly, his journey has instilled the same blessings of peace and insight that many cancer survivors experience: the knowledge that every day is precious, and that life needs to be savored and enjoyed, because we never know when we’ll cross our final finish line. “I never lose sight of the fact that today could easily be my last day on Earth,” Munoz says. He’s “grateful to be around to see another World AIDS Day”, and takes life one fragile day at a time.

Munoz considers his identity as a runner and that of an HIV carrier to be one and the same. He states that, “My resiliency has endured over the years; I owe a huge chunk of that resiliency to the inner strength and physical strength I’ve developed through long distance running - the 100-mile events in particular.” He is just as disciplined about his medical regimen – regular checkups, blood testing, two drugs taken every day of his life – as he is about his training, where he continues to log 70-80 miles per week. He has a list of ambitious running goals, and one very ambitious health goal: “I hope to be around to see the eradication of AIDS, as difficult as that may seem today.”

That last notion might not be as far-fetched as it initially sounds. Given how utterly bleak things looked 30 years ago, and realizing how far medicine has progressed since then, it’s not hard to imagine that another 30 years from now we might be talking about AIDS in the past tense, just as we do with polio today. And as a robust 53-year-old with a healthy lifestyle and a potent treatment regimen on his side, there’s no reason to think that Munoz won’t be there to enjoy it.



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