ADORABLE! This Man Hasn’t Run a Marathon in Years But Believes He Could Finish One Tomorrow on ‘Muscle Memory’
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A local runner whose last marathon was in 2017 announced that he could cover that distance “tomorrow” relying solely on what he called muscle memory, Dumb Runner has learned.
Hans Franz, 49, made the statement while having dinner with his wife and another couple, according to a source, shortly after the conversation turned to health and fitness.
“They went from aging to aches and pains to fitness habits,” said the source, who requested anonymity. “Then someone mentioned that Hans was a runner, and asked how many marathons he’d run.”
Franz responded that he had completed eight marathons, though the most recent one was “years ago.” Asked whether he ever thought of doing a ninth, the father of three hesitated.
“I don’t know, the training is such a drag,” he said. “It really takes over your life, you know?”
He then clarified that he was talking about racing a marathon—not just finishing one.
“I mean, technically, I could run a marathon tomorrow if I wanted to,” he said, between bites of rigatoni. “I could do 26 miles just on muscle memory.”
The source confirmed that Franz was not joking.
While generally fit and healthy, Franz reportedly hasn’t run more than 25 miles a week since 2019; his most recent race of any kind was a half-marathon in 2022.
It remains unclear exactly what Franz thinks “muscle memory” is, or how it works. Reached for comment, experts offered Dumb Runner conflicting thoughts.
“I would not recommend trying to run a marathon on, essentially, no training,” said Dana Nealon, M.D., a general practitioner and marathon runner himself. “Absolutely not.”
Another professional disagreed.
“Muscle memory is totally a thing, sure,” said Kevin Carvey, PT, DPT, a physical therapist who often works with injured runners and is accepting new clients. “I say, go for it.”
