Mark Covert (born November 17, 1950) is an American runner. He is believed to maintain the second-longest streak of

running Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. Running is a type of gait characterized by an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This is ...

every day in the world. Covert's running streak began on July 23, 1968, just after his senior year at Burbank High School in Burbank, California, and continued for exactly 45 years. Due to a chronic foot injury, Covert announced that he would end his streak after exactly 45 years on July 23, 2013 and he did as promised. His is the longest streak recorded by the United States Running Streak Association, followed closely by Jon Sutherland, who began less than a year after Covert. However, British runner

Ron Hill Ronald Hill MBE (25 September 1938 – 23 May 2021) was a British runner and clothing entrepreneur. He was the second man to break 2:10 in the marathon; he set world records at four other distances, and laid claim to the marathon world reco ...

is believed to have the longest continuous streak. Covert has also run in competition, earning seventh place with a time of 2:23:35 in the 1972 US Olympic marathon trials. During those trials, Covert (then a runner for Fullerton State College) was the only surviving member of a pack of eight lesser-known runners to try to follow the blistering pace of

Kenny Moore Kenneth Clark Moore (December 1, 1943 – May 4, 2022) was an American Olympic road running athlete and journalist. He ran the marathon at the 1968 and 1972 Summer Olympics, finishing fourth at the latter. Early life Moore was born in Portland ...

and eventual gold-medalist

Frank Shorter Frank Charles Shorter (born October 31, 1947) is an American former long-distance runner who won the gold medal in the marathon at the 1972 Summer Olympics and the silver medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics. His Olympic success, along with the ac ...

, all the others failed to finish the race. By virtue of that race, he also claims the distinction of being the first person to cross a finish line wearing

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine give ...

brand shoes.http://www.patriotledger.com/sports/high_school/x967383230/COMMENTARY-Compared-to-Mark-Covert-were-all-wusses?zc_p=1 In 1992 he was named to Nike's Hall of Fame. Also while at Fullerton, he won the 1970 Division II

NCAA Men's Cross Country Championship The NCAA Division I Men's Cross Country Championship is the cross country championship held by the National Collegiate Athletic Association each autumn for individual men's runners and cross country teams from universities in Division I. Teams a ...

. He was part of their 1971 National Championship team. His personal best in the mile is 4:09 minutes, and he has run over 151,000 miles in total. Between his time at Burbank and Fullerton, Covert attended

Los Angeles Valley College Los Angeles Valley College (LAVC) is a public community college in Los Angeles, California. It is part of the Los Angeles Community College District. The college is adjacent to Grant High School in the neighborhood of Valley Glen. Often call ...

, where he was coached by László Tábori. He was part of their 1968 State Championship Cross Country team. Later on the track. he set the still standing National

Community College A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an "open enrollment" for students who have graduated from high school (also known as senior se ...

record for the 6 mile run at 28:53. American track governing bodies switched their measurement standards from Imperial measurements to

metric Metric or metrical may refer to: * Metric system, an internationally adopted decimal system of measurement * An adjective indicating relation to measurement in general, or a noun describing a specific type of measurement Mathematics In mathem ...

by the early 1980s. In 2009, he was elected into the Los Angeles Valley College Hall of Fame. In 2012, Cal State Fullerton named their early season Cross Country meet, the Mark Covert Classic Covert has been Head Cross Country and

Track and Field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

Coach at

Antelope Valley College Antelope Valley College (AVC) is a public community college in Lancaster, California. It is part of the California Community College system. It is operated by the Antelope Valley Community College District, with a primary service area of cove ...

Lancaster, California Lancaster is a charter city in northern Los Angeles County, in the Antelope Valley of the western Mojave Desert in Southern California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 173,516, making Lancaster the 153rd largest city in the United ...

since 1990.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Covert, Mark Living people 1950 births American male long-distance runners American male marathon runners Cal State Fullerton Titans men's cross country runners California Lutheran University alumni American track and field coaches College track and field coaches in the United States Cal State Fullerton Titans men's track and field athletes Los Angeles Valley College people