User:Crazyfeatherspublishing/Sarah Covington Fulcher

Sarah Covington Fulcher Sarah Covington Fulcher is known by many around the world as one of the most unusual runners of all time. Fulcher was born on February 14, 1962 in Point Pleasant, New Jersey with congenital hip dysplasia that was discovered early and corrected by fitting the child for corrective leg splints. At age 12, Fulcher found she had a natural ability to run fast and decided to order her first pair of running shoes from Oregon after seeing them advertised in a running magazine in late 1974 by a company that had just changed it's name to NIKE. As a youth, Fulcher set state records in NC and Georgia for running and the long jump. After graduation from Salem College in NC, Fulcher was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the first woman to run across the continent of Australia earning her a great deal of international media attention including an interview by Bryant Gumbel on the popular NBC Today Show. Filmed for Australian television, Fulcher's Across Down Under Run covered 2,727 miles in only 96 days. In 1987, Fulcher began her next run with the support of NFL hall of fame coach George Allen. Appointed by Ronald Reagan, Allen was as chairman of President's Council on Physical Fitness. Allen hired Fulcher to run the perimeter of the continental United States. Something that had never been done before and would earn Fulcher two more world records if accomplished. Beginning in Laguna Niguel, CA with Allen's sponsors and full support, Fulcher broke the world's record for the longest continuous solo run by a female when she reached Battle Creek, MI and then went on to complete Allen's project running into the Los Angeles Stadium during a televised half-time show on October 2, 1988. This also set a new record for the world's longest solo run by any person. During the famed Run Around America, Fulcher managed to run an average of a marathon every day for 438 consecutive days covering a record 11,134 miles through 34 states and Washington, DC McFarland, X. (1988) The Guinness Book of Records. Enfield: England, pp. xxx-xxx. . Sarah Fulcher continued running in both personal runs across other continents and competition in the United Stated Armed Forces. Fulcher is primarily celebrated in running publications, sports records books, women's halls of famous firsts as well as the famed Guinness Book of Records. In the summer of 2011, Ripley's Entertainment decided to publish Fulcher's accomplishments in the Ripley's Daily published in 42 countries. Today, Fulcher travels the south signing autographs, running memorabilia and a new book entitled, Sarah's Long Run Morris, D. (2011). Sarah's Long Run: Highlights of Sarah Covington Fulcher's world's record longest run. Crazy Feathers Publishing: Jamestown, NC.