Legendary distances, feats the norm for Knoll
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By Michael Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer
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A little charity may go a long way, but to understand how far the seemingly trite adage can be pushed and tested, you first need to locate Tom Knoll, the 75-year-old intelligence officer, retired Marine, veteran of two wars, and original Ironman competitor whose Bunyanesque humanitarian escapades have become the stuff of legend.
The Honolulu resident recently attracted national attention by running from San Diego to Arlington, Va. — some 3,100 miles — to raise money for the Challenged Athletes Foundation, the Wounded Warrior Project and the Sunshine Foundation.
The Freedom Run Across America was organized by U.S. Multi-Sport Athletic Events, which is operated by Knoll's son Warren and business partner Hubie Krawczyk.
Knoll began the run March 1 and finished July 4 with a victory lap around the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, an appropriate stopping point for a man who spent 33 years in the Marine Corps and another 15 with government intelligence. (Knoll is a veteran of the Korean and Vietnamese conflicts; an interrogation specialist, he's also served in Afghanistan and Iraq.)
Those familiar with Knoll's remarkable but largely below-the-radar history of extreme athletic accomplishment — he was one of 12 athletes to finish the first Ironman Triathlon — recognize the Freedom Run for what it was: just the latest example of the old soldier doing the assumably impossible to help those in need.
Consider the evidence:
"If I say I'm going to do something, I'll do it," Knoll says, matter-of-factly. "Even when things aren't going well, I can't quit."
Indeed, a person of lesser fortitude might have packed it in that first day in March when Knoll tripped and fell while crossing Torrey Pines. Knoll fell face first, sustaining a nasty gash around his left eye that required 25 stitches.
The next day, Knoll tacked on an extra four miles to his usual 30 to make up for the distance lost during his visit to the emergency room.
The challenges continued — a treacherous stretch of road in California where Knoll high-wired a 10-inch-wide ribbon of road sandwiched between a mountain and rushing traffic, 70 mph winds in Arizona, tornadoes in the Midwest — but Knoll was steadfast in his determination to "get my miles in" — even against the occasional objections from Warren, who accompanied Knoll throughout the journey.
"We probably 'bonded' a little too much," Knoll says. "We were together for 120 days. I was tired of seeing him and he was tired of seeing me every day."
Knoll did manage to take a rest day in Oklahoma. He used it to run the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon, the latest of 185 marathons and ultramarathons he's completed.
Knoll attributes his continued health and fitness to LSD. That's "Long Slow Distance" to those unacquainted with his droll humor.
By running high mileage at a slow-to-moderate pace, Knoll says he is able to maintain optimal fitness without incurring the cumulative damage often caused by repetitive jarring impact.
Knoll takes a similarly moderate and sustainable approach to his diet.
During his cross-country run, Knoll started each day with a cup or two of coffee, downed PowerBars to maintain his energy during the day, then replenished with a light dinner.
"I never take vitamins or supplements," he says. "Don't need them."
Between the daily runs and meetings with local media, Knoll made time to visit schools (he's an advocate of the President's Council of Physical Fitness initiative to combat childhood obesity), veterans groups, VA hospitals, ROTC programs, charitable organizations and senior homes.
And while the Freedom Run fell well short of its initial fundraising goal, it did generate approximately $30,000 to benefit its three designated charities.
Knoll says it's unlikely that he will attempt another cross-country run, but he might reconsider if enough money could be raised through sponsorships.
Knoll says his life goal is to raise $1 million for charity. He's even written a book about the subject. So far, he estimates, he's raised $800,000.
"If someone offers me a million dollars, sure, I'll do it again." Knoll says in a wistful tone, imagining, perhaps, just how far that would go.
Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.
