Almost 500 Days into His Run Streak, Eddie Gieda Shows Us Love Knows No Limits
“It’s much easier for me to say, ‘Am I really going to take my first day off in 430 days?’ I’m going to get out there and run.”
The following written content by Tonya Russell
It all started on the banks of the Ganges River, and it continues on through the streets of Philadelphia. Eddie Gieda, 43, has been running daily for almost 500 days since February 19, 2020, in honor of his wife, Amanda, who lost her life in a tragic motorcycle accident.
He and Amanda used to run together when she was still alive. She was a high school cross-country runner, and they loved exploring the world together in running shoes. He is in a band called An Albatross, and Amanda was their tour manager, and while on tour in Europe, they would wake up early to run 5K or 10K around every city the band played.
“I used to run just to keep myself in shape so I could perform on stage. I was in a high-energy punk rock sort of band. I always felt like running was like such a good symbiosis for that,” Gieda told Runner’s World. “So one day we’d be running in Prague, then the next day we’re in Berlin or in the Pyrenees.”
After Amanda died, the idea of a run streak was born on a trip to India.
And so his streak began in New Delhi, on the chaotic streets leading to the Ganges River, then he carried the tradition home to Philadelphia. Initially, the plan was for 100 days of half marathons, and after that was completed, he stuck to 10 miles a day—that’s where he’s been ever since.
“Amanda was a yoga practitioner, and she taught and abided by Hindu principles. After her passing, my guru and I took her ashes to India, and I immersed them into the Ganges River. It was during that month-long pilgrimage that I decided I was going to maintain a running streak,” Gieda said.
He completes most of his runs at night, leaving around 11 p.m. and sometimes not returning until 1 a.m.
“The biggest challenge was battling the elements during the winter time in the frigid Northeast,” he said.
Gieda’s journey embodies what it looks like to take your grief on the road with you, letting it propel you forward. Amanda is his “why” on days when he doesn’t feel like getting out there, just like she was his “why” when she was still here. Read more from Runner’s World.
