BY KAREN BOSSICK
David Grange had long counseled high performing individuals on how to create a plan and take action to achieve their biggest goals in their relationships, professional lives and their health by adopting habits and changing mindsets.
And, so, when the Hailey man read about a Japanese term called Misogi—a concept of choosing something so challenging you don’t even know it’s possible—he applied it to himself.
He had been sluffing off his morning runs because it was dark or rainy. So, he set a goal before him: That of running five solo marathons along trails in the Alps. It was a goal that would take him across five countries in five consecutive days, all self-supported.
Never mind that he had never run an official marathon.
Grange will tell his story of how he started training with a running buddy at 5:15 a.m. in the slushy spring melt following one of Sun Valley’s biggest snowy winters Thursday at The Community Library. His talk—“Peaks, Personal Growth and the Almost Impossible”—will be held at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, April 11.
Those who wish to see it in person can go to https://thecommunitylibrary.libcal.com/event/11528388. The talk will also be livestreamed with a recording available to view later at https://vimeo.com/event/4172585.
Grange told listeners a few months ago at an event at Ketchum’s Limelight Hotel that he put together an itinerary boasting spectacular scenery. And in August he hugged his wife and four children goodbye and headed to Europe where he ran around Interlaken, Switzerland, before driving to additional runs at Chamonix France, Cortina D’Ampezzo Italy, Maria Elm Austria and the Julian Alps of Slovenia.
Each run averaged 8,000 feet of elevation gain with some runs exceeding the standard marathon mileage of 26 miles. He encountered ferocious lightning and rain storms while running on ridgetops, had to filter his own water and, yes, became lost on at least one occasion.
When not challenging himself, Grange is a performance and mindset coach who teaches early morning seminary to high school juniors and seniors. He is known for his multi-sport sufferfests, such bike-ski-packraft adventures.