The Long Run
By: NBC News
Updated: April 2, 2012
A Fort Worth, Texas runner who holds the 14th longest streak in the country for running one mile every day is facing his biggest challenge, how to keep his 35-year streak going while in the hospital?
If you ever meet Bill Anderson you'll quickly learn he's built to always be in motion. He's run every day since he first started in 1976 and that streak almost ended on Saturday because of an emergency appendectomy.
He was outside running on Friday when he didn't feel right.
"But it was a lot more complicated than I would have imagined," said Anderson.
He checked into Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Southwest Fort Worth and found out he needed emergency surgery. Doctors told him and his family that the streak would have to end.
His daughter didn't want to see that happen.
It turned out the record could be rescued. Anderson ran on Friday and 24 hours hadn't elapsed yet.
To solve the problem she measured one of the hospital's courtyards to determine how many laps her father would have to run to complete a mile.
Outside is important because for Anderson's run to count he must meet three requirements. He must wear running shoes, the run must be outside and he must run for at least one mile.
With his doctor's blessing he ran in the courtyard Saturday night.
Now Anderson can add a hospital's courtyard to the list of places he's ran which include all 50 states, 46 countries and outside on an aircraft carrier.
In his mind he couldn't let this illness stop the streak because he hasn't let other illnesses define him before.
"I've had prostate cancer with treatments twice. I have had bladder surgery and throat surgery," said Anderson.
With many reasons to run away Anderson, always finds one to keep moving forward.
"I wasn't going to let it win, but you have to work hard to stay on top of it," said Anderson.
If you ever meet Bill Anderson you'll quickly learn he's built to always be in motion. He's run every day since he first started in 1976 and that streak almost ended on Saturday because of an emergency appendectomy.
He was outside running on Friday when he didn't feel right.
"But it was a lot more complicated than I would have imagined," said Anderson.
He checked into Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Southwest Fort Worth and found out he needed emergency surgery. Doctors told him and his family that the streak would have to end.
His daughter didn't want to see that happen.
It turned out the record could be rescued. Anderson ran on Friday and 24 hours hadn't elapsed yet.
To solve the problem she measured one of the hospital's courtyards to determine how many laps her father would have to run to complete a mile.
Outside is important because for Anderson's run to count he must meet three requirements. He must wear running shoes, the run must be outside and he must run for at least one mile.
With his doctor's blessing he ran in the courtyard Saturday night.
Now Anderson can add a hospital's courtyard to the list of places he's ran which include all 50 states, 46 countries and outside on an aircraft carrier.
In his mind he couldn't let this illness stop the streak because he hasn't let other illnesses define him before.
"I've had prostate cancer with treatments twice. I have had bladder surgery and throat surgery," said Anderson.
With many reasons to run away Anderson, always finds one to keep moving forward.
"I wasn't going to let it win, but you have to work hard to stay on top of it," said Anderson.
