Two Guys for Whom Marathons Are Too Easy

Adam Baker runs because it’s the one time of day he has all to himself (though, of course, he loves the rest of the time he spends at work at Whiteford Taylor & Preston and with his wife and three children). He runs five to 10 miles a day (longer on the weekends) while watching the sun rise and comes home to a cup of coffee and just-waking-up family. He’s starting to get into ultra marathons, too, including Boonsboro, Md.’s JFK 50, where aid stations offered both Christmas cookies and Advil (above, he’s coming through Weverton at Mile 16). His favorite piece of gear: North Face’s Better Than Naked shorts, which he says are super comfy and have plenty of pockets and, of course, a pretty good name. At work, he’s helping clients navigate the rewrite of Baltimore City’s zoning code.

Somehow, Matthew Burdette, who works in CBRE’s industrial group, is still standing in this picture, taken after he finished October’s 100.6-mile Oil Creek 100 trail run in Northwestern Pennsylvania. (We don't even like driving 100 miles.) He placed 24th among 68 finishers at just 27 hours and 16 minutes. Matthew started running marathons five years ago and has since done 19 full ones (he completed last year’s Boston Marathon), two 50-mile races, four 50-kilometer ones, two half-marathons, and countless 5Ks and 10Ks. The toughest part of the Oil Creek race, he says, was staying awake. Despite Matthew’s awe-inspiring willpower, he broke a promise to himself recently and ran another 100-miler, the C&O Canal race last month, placing 15th at under 23 minutes. He’s got two more marathons coming up to prep for his attempt to break the three-hour mark at the New York City Marathon in November.