♪ MUSIC ♪♪ >> HELLO, AND WELCOME TO DAKOTA LIFE.

I'M YOUR HOST, MICHELLE VAN MAANEN.

ANYONE WHO'S MADE IT THROUGH A LONG MIDWEST WINTER KNOWS THAT LIVING ON THIS LAND WE CALL DAKOTA REQUIRES ENDURANCE.

OUR GRANDPARENTS KNEW IT WHEN THEY LIVED THROUGH THE DUST BOWL YEARS OF THE '30S.

AND THEIR GRANDPARENTS KNEW IT WHEN THEY MADE THEIR ARDUOUS JOURNEY WEST TO SETTLE ON THIS LAND.

AND THE LAKOTA PEOPLE HAVE KNOWN IT FOR CENTURIES.

THIS TIME ON DAKOTA LIFE WE'RE GOING TO MEET SOME PEOPLE WHO BRING NEW MEANING TO THE TERM "ENDURANCE."

>>> RECENTLY SOUTH DAKOTA LOST ONE OF ITS MOST ENDURING ICONS, TED HUSTEAD, THE MAN WHO TURNED A SMALL-TOWN DRUGSTORE INTO A WORLDWIDE TOURIST ATTRACTION, AND IN SO DOING, DID MORE FOR TOURISM IN SOUTH DAKOTA THAN EVEN HE AND HIS WIFE, DOROTHY, COULD HAVE IMAGINED.

A FEW YEARS BACK, SOUTH DAKOTA PUBLIC TELEVISION PRODUCER SHEILA DUNN TRAVELED TO WALL DRUG TO VISIT WITH THE HUSTEADS.

HERE'S AN EXCERPT FROM THAT PROGRAM AS A TRIBUTE TO A MAN OF GREAT ENDURANCE.

>> TRAVELING ON INTERSTATE 90 IN SOUTH DAKOTA, WALL DRUG SIGNS STAND ALONE IN THEIR NUMBER AND SIZE.

THROUGHOUT THE STATE, THERE ARE MORE THAN 250 SIGNS GRACING THE LANDSCAPE, ADVERTISING EVERYTHING FROM ART TO FREE ICE WATER.

A FAMILY DYNASTY WAS BUILT ON THESE SIGNS, AND DESPITE THE CRITICS, DURING THE SUMMER PEAK, THE SIGNS HELPED PULL IN DAILY OVER 15,000 PEOPLE ON THEIR WAY TO OTHER DESTINATIONS IN THE BLACK HILLS AND BEYOND.

WALL DRUG IS CONSIDERED ONE OF THE LARGEST DRUGSTORES IN THE WORLD.

PRESCRIPTIONS ARE STILL FILLED.

RANCHERS CAN STILL BUY VETERINARY SUPPLIES.

BREAKFAST, LUNCH, OR DINNER IS ALWAYS AVAILABLE.

BUT THE BIGGEST BUSINESS OF ALL FOR WALL DRUG IS IN RETAIL, SELLING EVERYTHING FROM COWBOY BOOTS, MUGS, SOUTH DAKOTA DOUGHNUT SEEDS, AND EVEN ONE OF THOSE SHAKE-'EM-UP SNOWY BUFFALOS.

THE FOUNDERS OF WALL DRUG, TED AND DOROTHY HUSTEAD, MOVED TO WALL CLOSE TO 60 YEARS AGO.

NOW, WHAT WAS THE CLIMATE OF WALL IN THE DEPRESSION?

WHAT SORT OF CUSTOMERS DID YOU HAVE?

WAS IT TOUGH?

>> THE CLIMATE WASN'T GOOD.

OUR CUSTOMERS, THE FARMERS AND RANCHERS, DIDN'T HAVE ANY MONEY.

THE REASON THEY DIDN'T HAVE ANY MONEY IS THEY DIDN'T HAVE ANY CROPS.

AND MANY OF THEM, THOSE EARLY '30S, WERE LEAVING WESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA.

A LOT OF THEM WERE GOING TO CALIFORNIA TO TRY TO GET ANYTHING, TO GET WORK.

>> IN 1936, ON A HOT SUMMER DAY YOU WERE SEEING PEOPLE COMING OUT OF THE BADLANDS, AND YOU SAID, "WELL, THESE PEOPLE ARE THIRSTY.

WHY DON'T WE ADVERTISE FREE ICE WATER.

DID YOU EVER THINK THAT IT WOULD COME TO THIS?

>> NEVER.

IN FACT, I DIDN'T HAVE ANY MORE IDEA THAN PUTTING UP A SIGN ON EACH SIDE OF TOWN.

IT WAS MY IDEA, BUT THAT'S AS FAR AS I WENT.

BUT TED, IT WAS JUST-- HE JUST ATE IT UP.

AND HE THOUGHT IF ONE SIGN WOULD DO THIS MUCH, MAKE THIS MUCH DIFFERENCE, THINK WHAT 10 OR 12 OR 15 WOULD DO.

>> OR 100.

>> AND, SO, HE WENT OUT AND HAD A BOY, A HIGH SCHOOL BOY, THAT DOES POSTERS AND PUT ON ADVERTISING.

>> THE ONE SERIES THAT WAS PUT UP WEST OF TOWN READ "SLOW DOWN THE OLD HACK DRUGSTORE OR JUST ACROSS THE RAILROAD TRACK, FREE ICE WATER AT WALL DRUG."

THE ONE THAT WENT UP EAST OF TOWN, "GET A SODA, GET A ROOT BEER, TURN THE NEXT CORNER, JUST ABOUT THERE TO THE WALL DRUGSTORE, FREE ICE WATER."

>> BECAUSE OF THE SIGNS, HOW DID THAT IMMEDIATELY CHANGE THE STORE?

>> PUT UP THE FIRST SIGNS, THE HIGH SCHOOL BOY AND I HARDLY GOT BACK TO TOWN FROM PUTTING UP THE SIGNS, PEOPLE WERE TUNING IN.

NEXT YEAR WE HIRED 8 GIRLS TO TAKE CARE OF THE SODA FOUNTAIN AND DISPENSE THE ICE WATER.

SO IT MADE A DIFFERENCE, MADE A DIFFERENCE IN A HURRY.

SO WE JUST KEPT ON PUTTING UP SIGNS.

WE GOT THEM AS FAR EAST AS SIOUX FALLS AND EVEN INTO MINNESOTA, AS FAR WEST INTO WYOMING AND MONTANA.P >> WHAT DO YOU ATTRIBUTE TO ALL YOUR SUCCESS?

>> THE SIGNS AND HARD WORK.

>> HARD WORK.

>> PLUS WE HAVE THE GOOD FORTUNE TO HAVE HAD A LOT OF GOOD HELP.

WE'VE BEEN HELPED AND HELPED.

OUR OLDEST BOY BILL COME INTO BUSINESS WITH US IN '51.

A GREAT BUILDER.

>> OUR HOPE IS THAT EVENTUALLY WE WILL BECOME SUCH A MAJOR ATTRACTION ALONG INTERSTATE 90 THAT PEOPLE WILL JUST SAY, "WELL, WE'RE GOING TO SOUTH DAKOTA, WE MUST SEE THAT DRUGSTORE."

AND I FEEL THAT THE EXPANSION WAS VITAL TO OUR SURVIVAL IN THOSE DAYS AND WE'RE IN THAT SAME POSITION IN THE 1990S.

>> SINCE BILL HAS BEEN HEADING UP OPERATIONS AT WALL DRUG, THE STORE HAS BUILT A MALL, WHICH INCLUDES THE FAMILY PHARMACY MUSEUM, A TRAVELERS CHAPEL, AND OTHER SMALL RETAIL-TYPE OF STOREFRONT.

A BACKYARD IS USED IN THE SUMMER FOR PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES WITH MECHANICAL CRITTERS, SUCH AS A BUCKING BRONC AND A GIANT RABBIT.

ALSO, WESTERN ART, A PASSION OF BILL'S, IS CURRENTLY DISPLAYED IN BOTH MAJOR DINING ROOMS.

THE PROMOTION HAS BEEN THE KEY TO WALL DRUG'S SUCCESS.

THROUGH THE YEARS HUNDREDS OF ARTICLES HAVE BEEN WRITTEN ABOUT THE WORLD'S LARGEST DRUGSTORE.

MAGAZINES FROM "PEOPLE" TO "TIME" TO "PLAY BOY" HAVE INCLUDED ARTICLES AMONG ITS COVERS.

THE SIGNS STILL PLAY A LARGE PART OF THE PROMOTIONAL SCHEME.

PEOPLE HAVE TAKEN PORTABLE SIGNS FROM WALL DRUG D DISPLAYED THEM ALL OVER THE WORLD, IN PARIS IN FRONT THE EIFFEL TOWER, ON THE PLAINS OF KENYA, AND EVEN AT THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA.

>> YOUR PARENTS FOUNDED THE STORE; YOU'VE HELPED EXPAND IT.

( WHAT'S IN THE FUTURE FOR WALL DRUG?

>> WELL, I CAME OUT HERE WITH MOTHER AND DAD AND GREW UP IN THE STORE.

AND THE STORE HAS MEANT A TREMENDOUS-- IT'S BEEN A COMPULSION IN MY LIFE.

NUMBER ONE, BACK IN THE OLD DAYS, OUR STORE WAS SUBJECT TO RIDICULE, AND I HAVE TRIED TO MAKE THE DRUGSTORE SOMETHING THAT OUR FAMILY COULD FEEL GOOD ABOUT, FEEL PROUD OF.

IT HASN'T BEEN A CRUSADE TO MAKE MONEY.

I THINK THAT TRADITIONALLY FAMILY BUSINESSES DON'T LAST THROUGH TOO MANY GENERATIONS.

I THINK IT'S PRETTY TRICKY.

I ALWAYS TELL MY BOYS, "YOU DON'T NEED TO WONDER IF YOU'RE DOING A JOB.

ALL OF AMERICAN BUSINESSWOMEN AND BUSINESSMEN KNOW THAT IF YOU TAKE OVER A BUSINESS, A RETAIL BUSINESS SUCH AS WALL DRUG, YOU BETTER TAKE CARE OF IT; AND IF YOU DON'T, YOU WON'T HAVE IT VERY LONG.

>> NO MATTER WHAT YOUR OPINION IS OF WALL DRUG, THE SOUTH DAKOTA INSTITUTION HAD ITS BEST YEAR EVER IN 1990.

IN THE PEAK SUMMER MONTHS, THE STORE EMPLOYS 250 PEOPLE, AND FUTURE PLANS INCLUDE ADDING TO THE BACKYARD AREA A $1 MILLION BUILDING TO HOUSE WALL DRUG'S WESTERN ART COLLECTION.

DESPITE ALL THE SIGNS, THE GIMMICKS, AND WHACKY TOURIST STUFF, WALL DRUG CONTINUES TO PROSPER, EXPAND, AND, BEST OF ALL, PROMOTE SOUTH DAKOTA.

NEXT TIME YOU TRAVEL ACROSS SOUTH DAKOTA, JUST REMEMBER THERE'S A LOT MORE TO ALL THE SIGNS THAT YOU SEE.

WALL DRUG IS A SOUTH DAKOTA INSTITUTION, PROBABLY ONE OF THE BEST SMALL-TOWN RETAIL STORES AROUND, AND WILL PROBABLY STAY THAT WAY FOR MANY YEARS TO COME.

I'M SHEILA DUNN.

>> TED HUSTEAD WILL BE MISSED BY THE MANY PEOPLE WHO KNEW HIM.

IF YOU NEVER HAD THE HONOR OF MEETING TED, STOP IN AT WALL THE NEXT TIME YOU'RE DRIVING INTERSTATE 90 AND EXPERIENCE A LITTLE BIT OF HIS ENDURING LEGACY.

HIS SON BILL IS CARRYING ON THE FAMILY TRADITION KNOWN AS "WALL DRUG."

>>> IN THIS NEXT SEGMENT, WE'RE GOING TO SNEAK ACROSS THE MINNESOTA BORDER TO A FARM NEAR ORTONVILLE TO VISIT WITH A HEARTLANDER WHO WRITES FROM THE HEART ABOUT FARMING THE LAND HIS NORWEGIAN GREAT GRANDPARENTS HOMESTEADED ALMOST 120 YEARS AGO.

BRENT OLSON MAY NOT BE A SOUTH DAKOTAN, BUT HIS EXPERIENCES HELPING TO PRESERVE THE ENDURING LEGACY OF LAND LEFT TO HIM BY HIS ANCESTORS PARALLELS OUR DAKOTA EXPERIENCE.

SO WE THOUGHT YOU MIGHT ENJOY MEETING THIS AUTHOR/FARMER AND SEEING THE PRAIRIE FROM HIS PERSPECTIVE.

>> FORGET THE CITY.

LIFE'S RICHEST PLEASURES CAN BE FOUND RIGHT HERE ON THE PRAIRIE, ACCORDING TO HUSBAND, PARENT, FARMER, AND AUTHOR BRENT OLSON.

BRENT'S VIEW OF THE WORLD IS CENTERED ON HIS 1200-ACRE FARM IN WESTERN MINNESOTA.

IN HIS SPARE TIME, HE'S A COLUMNIST FOR DTN/FARMDAYTA SATELLITE NEWS SERVICE AND A CORRESPONDENT FOR "SUCCESSFUL FARMING'S" ONLINE MAGAZINE.

BRENT'S WRITING EVOLVED FROM HUMBLE BEGINNINGS.

>> MY WIFE AND I WERE THE YOUTH LEADERS IN OUR CHURCH FOR MANY YEARS, AND EVERY TIME A KID WOULD GRADUATE FROM HIGH SCHOOL AND GO OFF TO SCHOOL OR THE ARMY OR SOMETHING, I'D WRITE THEM A LETTER.

AND THE ONES THAT WERE A LITTLE HOMESICK OR A LITTLE SCARED WOULD WRITE BACK, AND WE'D JUST KEEP THAT UP UNTIL THEY DIDN'T NEED IT ANYMORE.

AND SOME STOPPED AFTER ONE LETTER AND SOME WENT ON FOR TEN YEARS.

BUT WHEN YOU'RE WRITING TO A HOMESICK 18-YEAR-OLD, YOU TRY AND KEEP IT KIND OF LIGHT AND KIND OF FUNNY AND THAT JUST-- IT GOT TO BE SOMETHING THAT I GOT GOOD AT.

AND WHEN I STARTED TO LOOK FOR A LITTLE DIVERSITY, THAT WAS KIND OF A NATURAL.

>> IN 1998, A COLLECTION OF OLSON'S COLUMNS AND OTHER WRITINGS WERE COMPILED INTO A BOOK.

"THE LAY OF THE LAND, A VIEW FROM THE PRAIRIE," FEATURES A COLLECTION OF HUMOROUS AND HEARTWARMING WRITINGS ON EVERYTHING FROM LOVE AND MARRIAGE TO THE FAMILY CAT.

HE SAYS FINDING SUBJECTS FOR HIS WRITING HAS BEEN EASY.

>> YOU KNOW, THAT'S NO PROBLEM AT ALL.

EVERYONE'S LIFE IS FULL OF STUFF.

I MEAN, THE AVERAGE PERSON YOU MEET ON THE STREET CAN TELL YOU THE FUNNIEST STORY THAT JUST HAPPENED TO THEM.

AND MY FAMILY JUST SUFFERS BECAUSE I PUT IT DOWN ON PAPER AND LET EVERYONE ELSE READ IT.

I LIKE LIFE.

I LIKE THE VARIOUS LITTLE INSANITIES OF LIFE THAT A LOT OF TIMES YOU DON'T NOTICE, BUT IF YOU STEP BACK AND GO, "OH, GEEZ, THAT WAS REALLY STUPID, WASN'T IT?"

IT GIVES YOU A LITTLE HOOK.

WHAT I ENJOY MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE IS IF I GET A LETTER OR AN E-MAIL FROM SOMEONE SAYING, "YOU KNOW, I READ YOUR COLUMN AND SOMETHING JUST LIKE THAT HAPPENED TO ME."

THAT MAKES ME FEEL LIKE I REALLY SCORED; THAT I'VE CONNECTED AT LEAST WITH ONE PERSON THAT DAY.

>> ALONG WITH HIS WRITING, BRENT'S PHILOSOPHIES OF LIFE HAVE EVOLVED AS A RESULT OF BEING CARETAKER TO A 4TH GENERATION FAMILY FARM.

>> MY GREAT GRANDPARENTS CAME HERE BECAUSE THEY WERE LOOKING FOR A BETTER LIFE.

THEY HAD NOTHING IN NORWAY, AND, SO, THEY CAME HERE TRYING"" TO FIND SOMETHING.

AND AT SOME POINT IN TIME, MAYBE WITH MY KIDS OR MY KIDS' KIDS OR MAYBE EVEN WITH ME DOWN THE ROAD, THERE WILL BE A POINT WHERE I'LL DO THE SAME THING, WHERE I'LL LOOK AROUND, I'LL SAY, "OKAY, THERE ISN'T SO MUCH HERE.

THERE'S GOT TO BE SOMETHING MORE SOMEPLACE ELSE."

SO, YOU CAN'T-- YOU CAN'T INVEST YOUR WHOLE LIFE INTO SOMEPLACE.

YOU'VE GOT TO INVEST YOUR LIFE IN YOUR FAMILY AND THE THINGS THAT ARE MAYBE MORE IMPORTANT THAN JUST A PLACE.

BUT I TAKE GREAT PLEASURE IN WALKING THE SAME PLACE AS MY GREAT GRANDPARENTS WALKED 120 YEARS AGO.

IT'S A LOT OF RESPONSIBILITY, AND I ENJOY IT.

IT IS SUCH A PLEASURE TO DO SOMETHING THAT IS SO USEFUL.

THERE ARE SO MANY JOBS THAT ARE JUST A PAYCHECK, YOU KNOW, THAT ARE MOVING PILES OF PAPER FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER, WHERE YOU DON'T ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING REAL.

I NEVER HAVE A PROBLEM WITH MY KIDS SAYING, "WELL, WHAT DO YOU DO, DADDY?"

YOU KNOW.

WELL, WHAT I DO IS I RAISE FOOD THAT HUNGRY PEOPLE EAT.

I GUESS THAT'S WHY I'M A FARMER.

>> LIKE MANY IN SMALL-TOWN AMERICA, BRENT SEES HIS COMMUNITY AS MORE THAN JUST A PLACE.

>> WHAT IS SO UNIQUE IS THE FEELING YOU REALLY ARE A FAMILY WITH A LOT OF PEOPLE.

AND THAT'S ALL THE UPSIDE AND ALL THE DOWNSIDE.

YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES YOUR FAMILY DRIVES YOU CRAZY.

THERE'S 600 PEOPLE THERE, ANY ONE OF WHICH I FEEL VERY, VERY CLOSE TO, AND ANY ONE OF WHICH HAS THE CAPACITY TO DRIVE ME ABSOLUTELY INSANE WITH SOMETHING THEY'VE DONE.

SO, YOU GOT TO UNDERSTAND THAT PEOPLE ARE GOOFY, THEY'RE GOING TO DO WONDERFUL, TRANSCENDENT THINGS THAT ARE JUST GOING TO MAKE YOU WEEP WITH THEIR KINDNESS, AND THEN EVERY NOW AND THEN THEY'RE GOING TO DO SOMETHING SO DAMN DUMB THAT YOU JUST WANT TO TEAOUT WHAT REMAINS OF YOUR HAIR.

>> DESPITE SMALL FRUSTRATIONS, BRENT SEES SMALL-TOWN LIFE AS WELL WORTH THE INVESTMENT.

>> WHY ELSE LIVE IN A SMALL TOWN?

YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE NOT GOING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE PLEASURES OF BEING A PART OF YOUR COMMUNITY, THE PLEASURES AND THE FRUSTRATIONS, WHAT'S THE SENSE?

YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT A GROUP OF STOCK BROKERS WHO OWN A HUNTING LODGE A COUPLE MILES FROM HERE, AND THEY HAVE A GUY THAT THEY LET LIVE ON THE PLACE AS A CARETAKER.

AND THEY SAID, "OKAY, HERE'S THE DEAL: WHEN WE COME OUT, WE DON'T WANT TO BE BUGGED.

SO DON'T COME OVER AND SAY 'HELLO,' DON'T COME OVER TO THE LODGE DURING THE WEEKENDS, AND IF YOU SEE US IN THE YARD GETTING SOMETHING OUT OF THE BARN, DON'T COME OUT AND BOTHER US."

AND I JUST-- WELL, FIRST OF ALL, I WAS JUST MORTALLY OFFENDED WHEN THE GUY TOLD ME THAT THOSE WERE HIS INSTRUCTIONS.

BUT, SECONDLY, THEY'RE MISSING THE WHOLE POINT, YOU KNOW.

THEY'RE MISSING THE WHOLE POINT OF COMING TO AN AREA LIKE THIS.

YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT-- YOU KNOW, GRANTED, WE'RE KIND OF SCRUFFY AND RIFFRAFF, BUT WE'RE KIND OF INTERESTING, PLEASANT RIFFRAFF, AND THEY REALLY SHOULD GO TO THE BOTHER OF GETTING TO KNOW US.

>> BRENT SEES HIS CAREERS AS A WRITER AND A FARMER AS HAVING MORE SIMILARITIES THAN MOST PEOPLE MAY THINK.

>> YOU KNOW, WRITING A BOOK IS A LOT OF BOTHER.

YOU KNOW, I MEAN, IT TAKES A LONG TIME, AND THEN ONCE YOU DO IT, YOU GOT TO DO IT OVER AGAIN BECAUSE YOU GOT TO FIX EVERYTHING YOU SCREWED UP THE FIRST TIME.

AND I'VE HAD A QUARTER OF A CENTURY OF GETTING USED TO DOING THAT AS A FARMER.

I MEAN, DOING SOMETHING OVER AND OVER AGAIN UNTIL YOU GET IT RIGHT AND LOOKING AT SOMETHING AND KNOWING, OKAY, IT'S GOING TO TAKE THREE MONTHS OR SIX MONTHS OR A YEAR TO DO THIS DOESN'T SCARE ME BECAUSE THAT'S MY LIFE.

>> AND FOR BRENT OLSON, LIFE ON THE PRAIRIE IS JUST FINE.

>> I LOVE GETTING UP IN THE MORNING AND WALKING OUT@R MY FRONT DOOR.

YOU SEE THE HOG BARNS OVER THERE, YOU SEE THE FIELDS ALL AROUND, YOU SEE THE SUN COMING UP OVER THE SLOUGH, YOU HEAR THE GEESE.

I LIKE WHAT I DO.

I LIKE WHERE I LIVE.

I LIKE MY FAMILY.

THAT PUTS ME THREE FOR THREE, PUTS ME AHEAD MAYBE-- AHEAD OF MAYBE 2 BILLION PEOPLE IN THE WORLD.

>> I SUSPECT A LOT OF US LIVING HERE IN THE HEART OF AMERICA CAN ECHO BRENT'S SENTIMENTS.

HIS BOOK, "THE LAY OF THE LAND, A VIEW FROM THE PRAIRIE," IS PUBLISHED BY J&L LEE COMPANY OUT OF LINCOLN, NEBRASKA IN CASE YOU WANT TO RUN OUT TO YOUR LOCAL BOOKSTORE AND GET A COPY.

>>> SPEAKING OF RUNNING, THERE'S A QUOTE WHICH HAS MOTIVATED LONG-DISTANCE RUNNERS FOR YEARS, THE VICTORY IS NOT TO THE SWIFT, BUT TO THOSE WHO KEEP ON RUNNING.

IN OTHER WORDS, ENDURANCE.

ONE RUNNER IN SOUTH DAKOTA WHO KNOWS THE MEANING OF THE WORD IS JERRY DUNN.

ON OCTOBER 3RD, 1998, JERRY BEGAN RUNNING A MARATHON A DAY IN NEW YORK CITY'S CENTRAL PARK.

HE RAN HIS 29TH MARATHON ON NOVEMBER 3RD, THE SAME DAY AS THE 29TH ANNUAL NEW YORK CITY MARATHON.

A FEW YEARS BACK, JERRY RAN 104 MARATHONS, A RECORD FOR A SINGLE YEAR.

TO SAY THAT JERRY SETS UNIQUE GOALS FOR HIMSELF WOULD BE AN UNDERSTATEMENT OF "MARATHON PROPORTIONS."

>> JERRY DUNN TAKES TO THE STREETS OF SPEARFISH ON MOST MORNINGS BEFORE THE SUN HAS BRIGHTENED THE SKY.

HIS LOVE OF RUNNING HAS TURNED HIM INTO AMERICA'S MARATHON MAN.

WITH HUNDREDS OF MARATHONS UNDER HIS BELT, YOU MIGHT THINK THAT JERRY'S ALWAYS BEEN A DISTANCE RUNNER.

JERRY WILL TELL YOU THAT HE WAS AN ALCOHOLIC FIRST AND THAT HIS OBSESSION WITH RUNNING HAS REPLACED HIS ADDICTION TO ALCOHOL.

>> WITHIN THE FIRST YEAR AFTER I QUIT DRINKING, I ACTUALLY DID DO MY FIRST MARATHON.

SO, IT WAS A-- NOT A REAL SUBTLE TRANSITION, I GUESS.

I HAD A LOT MORE TIME WHEN I QUIT DRINKING.

I FILLED THAT UP WITH TRAINING MILES AND DECIDED THAT, YOU KNOW, FOR ALL THOSE YEARS WHEN I DRANK AND RAN, A MARATHON SEEMED LIKE A RIDICULOUS THING TO ATTEMPT.R I MEAN, NOBODY WANTS TO RUN 26 MILES.

YOU HAVE TO TRAIN A LOT FOR THAT, AND IT'S NOT LIKE GETTING LOADED ON FRIDAY NIGHT AND GOING OUT AND RUNNING 6 MILES ON SATURDAY MORNING.

I MEAN, THAT'S NOT A PROBLEM.

BUT 26 MILES IS A DIFFERENT STORY.

SO, WHEN I PUT THE DRUGS AND THE ALCOHOL DOWN, I DECIDED THAT MAYBE THIS MARATHON THING MIGHT BE WORTH CHECKING OUT.

>> AND WHERE WAS THAT FIRST MARATHON?

>> PHILADELPHIA, 1983, THREE HOURS AND 34 MINUTES, WHICH WASN'T BAD FOR A FIRST MARATHON.

>> AFTER THAT FIRST MARATHON, JERRY WAS HOOKED.

EVEN THOUGH HE DIDN'T RUN ANOTHER MARATHON FOR TWO YEARS, THE SEEDS WERE PLANTED TO FIND LARGER AND DIFFERENT CHALLENGES.

ONE OF THOSE CHALLENGES WAS TO RUN 100 MILES.

HE DID THAT IN 1990.

BUT THAT WASN'T ENOUGH FOR JERRY.

>> I WAS LOOKING FOR SOMETHING ELSE TO DO.

YOU KNOW, I WAS IN PROBABLY THE BEST SHAPE I'D BEEN IN IN MY LIFE AT THAT POINT.

AND I KNEW SOME PEOPLE INVOLVED IN HABITAT FOR HUMANITY, AND THEY WERE TRYING TO THINK OF WAYS TO RAISE MONEY.

SO I SAT DOWN WITH A COUPLE OF THEM AND SAID, "WELL, I'D LIKE TO RUN ACROSS INDIANA AND RAISE MONEY FOR HABITAT.

SO THANKSGIVING WEEKEND OF 1990 I RAN 152 MILES ACROSS INDIANA IN THE COURSE OF THREE DAYS AT 50 MILES A DAY.

AND IN THE PROCESS OF SETTING ALL THAT UP, I FOUND OUT THAT THE NEXT YEAR WAS THE 15TH ANNIVERSARY OF HABITAT FOR HUMANITY, SO I DID SOME CALCULATIONS AND I FIGURED OUT THAT 15 WEEKS IS 105AYS, AND THEN I CAME UP WITH THE SLOGAN "SHORE TO SHORE IN 104," SO I RAN FROM SAN FRANCISCO TO WASHINGTON, D.C., OR MOST OF THE WAY, I HAD TO CYCLE SOME OF IT, BUT-- SO I WENT FROM RUNNING ACROSS ONE STATE ONE YEAR TO THE ENTIRE COUNTRY THE NEXT YEAR.

ONCE AGAIN, THAT WAS TO RAISE AWARENESS OF HABITAT FOR HUMANITY.

>> JERRY HAS A MOTTO: DON'T LIMIT YOUR CHALLENGES; CHALLENGE YOUR LIMITS.

HE READ THAT A MAN HAD RUN 87 MARATHONS IN ONE YEAR.

CERTAINLY THIS GOAL COULD BE REACHED.

>> I PICKED "93 IN '93" FOR A CATCHY SLOGAN FOR WHAT I WAS GOING TO DO, BUT IN THE COURSE OF PLANNING ALL THAT I MET THIS MAN NAMED ED BARETTO WHO FOUNDED AN ORGANIZATION CALLED "UNITED STATES MEGA MARATHON ASSOCIATION," AND HE WAS CLAIMING 101 MARATHONS IN ONE YEAR, IN THE YEAR 1991.

SO, MY 93RD WAS NEW YORK IN THE MIDDLE OF NOVEMBER, WHICH LEFT ME SIX WEEKS IN 1993, SO LONG BEFORE I GOT TO NEW YORK AND MY 93RD I DECIDED THAT IF I WAS STILL FEELING GOOD IN NOVEMBER, IF I'M THAT CLOSE TO 101, I MIGHT AS WELL GO AHEAD AND TAKE THE RECORD FROM THIS GUY.

SO I ENDED UP DOING 104.

AND I DON'T KNOW-- I THINK-- AS FAR AS I KNOW, I'M STILL HOLDING THE RECORD ON THAT ONE.

I HAVEN'T HEARD OF ANYBODY DOING ANY MORE THAN THAT.

>> IT WAS DURING THIS QUEST AT MARATHON NUMBER 71 THAT JERRY MET ELAINE.

>> ONE OF MY SONS CALLED ME THE NIGHT BEFORE THE MARATHON, HE SAID, "MOM, THERE'S THIS REALLY WEIRD GUY ON TV.

HE RUNS TWO MARATHONS EVERY WEEKEND.

I SAID, "THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE."

HE SAID, "YEAH, IT IS.

IT'S THIS GUY AND HE DRINKS SOMETHING CALLED GREEN"-- WHAT DID DANNY CALL IT?

>> HE CALLED IT SWAMP WATER.

>> LAVA.

"HE'D DRINK SOMETHING CALLED LAVA.

YOU'LL WANT TO MEET HIM."

I SAID, "YEAH, RIGHT, I'LL WANT TO MEET HIM."

ANYWAY, I WENT DOWN THE NIGHT BEFORE TO THE PASTA FEED, AND THERE WAS THIS TALL, SKINNY GUY THERE.

AND THEY SAID, "THAT'S THE GUY THAT RUNS TWO MARATHONS EVERY WEEKEND."

I SAID, "YEAH, RIGHT, HE MUST BE WEIRD."

AND SOMEONE INTRODUCED US, AND I SAID-- WE JUST GOT TO TALKING, AND I SAID, "I REALLY LIKE TO DRINK EXCEED, BUT I CAN'T FIND IT ANYMORE."

WHEN I RUN, I LIKE TO DRINK EXCEED.

SO, "GOOD-BYE," "NICE MEETING YOU."

AND THE NEXT MORNING THIS WOMAN THAT OFTENTIMES GOES WITH ME ON A BICYCLE, IS MY LITTLE SUPPORT GROUP, SHE SAID, "SOME GUY STOPPED UP WITH THIS BOTTLE OF STUFF FOR YOU TO DRINK," AND IT WAS EXCEED.

AND I THOUGHT, WELL, COOL, HE LISTENS, YOU KNOW.

AND THEN THERE HE WAS AND WE RAN THE FIRST SIX MILES TOGETHER, RIGHT?

>> UM-HUM.

>> AND THAT WAS IT.

>> THE REST OF THAT YEAR WAS PRETTY HARD ON BOTH OF US IN A SENSE.

I MEAN, ELAINE FOUND OUT JUST A COUPLE OF MONTHS AFTER THAT MARATHON THAT SHE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH BLADDER CANCER AND WENT THROUGH SURGERY THE DAY AFTER THANKSGIVING OF THAT YEAR WHILE I WAS OFF IN CALIFORNIA AND HONOLULU FINISHING UP MY 104TH MARATHON.

AND THEN IN 1994 I SPENT A LOT OF TIME COMING UP TO SOUTH DAKOTA TO VISIT ELAINE, AND WE EVENTUALLY DECIDED WE WERE GOING TO GET MARRIED.

AND THROUGH A SERIES OF EVENTS WE ENDED UP GETTING MARRIED AT A MARATHON.

>> OF COURSE NOT JUST ANY MARATHON WOULD DO FOR THIS COUPLE.

THEY WERE MARRIED AT THE DISNEY WORLD MARATHON.

>> AT THE MAGIC KINGDOM.

>> SOMEWHERE BETWEEN EIGHT AND NINE MILES WE HAD RUN, AND WE STOPPED AND, YOU KNOW, THEY HAD IT ALL SET UP AND THE BACKDROP OF OUR WEDDING CEREMONY WAS THE CASTLE IN THE MAGIC KINGDOM.

AND WE-- YOU KNOW, OFTENTIMES WE'VE SAID IT WAS KIND OF A FAIRY TALE ROMANCE AND A FAIRY TALE WEDDING.

WHAT MORE APPROPRIATE PLACE TO HAVE IT THAN DISNEY WORLD.

>> WHILE YOU MIGHT THINK THAT SURVIVING CANCER AND RUNNING MARATHONS WITH JERRY WOULD BE ENOUGH FOR ELAINE, SHE'S HAD SOME PRETTY INTERESTING EXPLOITS HERSELF.

SHE HAS RUN 53 MARATHONS IN 23 STATES AND THREE CONTINENTS, AND JUST A COUPLE MONTHS AFTER CANCER SURGERY SHE CLIMBED A MOUNTAIN.

>> THERE WERE 12 OF US THEN WHO WOULD CLIMB KILIMANJARO.

WE TREKED UP THERE OVER A THREE-DAY PERIOD.

WE'D GO 3,000 FEET IN ABOUT 14, 15, 20 MILES, AND STAY OVERNIGHT IN HUTS THERE TO ACCLIMATE TO THE ALTITUDE.

AND THEN THE LAST NIGHT THAT WE STAYED, THEY GOT US UP AT MIDNIGHT TO BEGIN THE CLIMB, THE LAST-- I THINK IT WAS LAST 2 OR 3,000 FEET SO THAT WE COULD BE AT THE SUMMIT AT DAYBREAK, WHICH WE WERE.

IT WAS TAKE A BREATH, TAKE A STEP, TAKE A BREATH, TAKE A STEP BECAUSE THE AIR WAS SO THIN AND IT WAS SO HARD AND SO COLD.

SO, WE WENT ON UP THERE AND DID IT AND WATCHED THE SUN COME UP.

AND THERE'S A GLACIER.

OFF TO THE LEFT WAS A GLACIER.

IT WAS INCREDIBLE.

I REALLY-- YOU REALLY HAVE TO EXPERIENCE IT TO KNOW THE FEELING.

TOOK A FEW PICTURES OR TRIED TO.

OUR CAMERAS WERE FROZEN.

AND THEN WE STARTED DOWN.

IT ONLY TOOK US LIKE A DAY, A LITTLE OVER A DAY TO GET DOWN BECAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE TO STOP AND ACCLIMATE.

AND THEN THE NEXT MORNING WE GOT UP EARLY AND RAN A MARATHON IN THE TOWN OF MOSHEE WHICH IS AT THE BASE OF MT.

KILIMANJARO.

>> SO WHAT MESSAGE DO JERRY AND ELAINE HOPE THAT PEOPLE WILL TAKE FROM THEIR ADVENTURES?

>> I GUESS I WOULD LIKE TO BE REMEMBERED AS AMERICA'S MARATHON MAN WHO DID SOME PRETTY UNUSUAL THINGS, AND IN THE PROCESS OF THAT ENCOURAGE, YOU KNOW, OTHER RUNNERS AND OTHER NONATHLETES TO AT LEAST TRY RUNNING AND TRY TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR OWN, YOU KNOW, THEIR OWN HEALTH AND THEIR OWN WELL-BEING.

>> JERRY'S CURRENTLY WORKING ON A UNIQUE GOAL FOR THE YEAR 2000.

WILL IT BE 200 MARATHONS IN ONE YEAR?

HE'S NOT SAYING JUST YET.

WE'LL HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE.

>>> WELL, THAT'S ALL THE TIME WE HAVE FOR THIS EDITION OF DAKOTA LIFE.

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FOR SOUTH DAKOTA PUBLIC TELEVISION, I'M MICHELLE VAN MAANEN.

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