The US Capitol is seen on the second day of the federal government shutdown on October 2 in Washington DC. Photo / Getty Images
Ultramarathoners are intense, but that’s what Rob Perez likes most about them.
It takes a certain type of person to run races that are measured in days, not hours.
Perez is no stranger to running those kinds of distances. He’s run 300 miles (482km) twice.
This October, the Washington-based ultramarathoner and content creator is up against a challenge that even he isn’t sure he’ll be able to complete.
When the United States Government shut down on October 1, Perez decided to push himself by mirroring the number of miles he ran each day to the number of days the Government stayed closed.
On the first day, he ran one mile (1.6km). On the second day, he ran two miles.
And as Republicans and Democrats in Congress remain at odds over a government funding bill, that figure continues to rise. On Monday, Perez marked the 19th day of the shutdown by running 19 miles.
The challenge, Perez said, is a metaphor for what furloughed federal workers are experiencing as they go weeks without pay while the Government is closed.
“I want people to have a visual aid,” Perez said. “The amount of pain that I’m enduring during these upcoming days is what a lot of people are going through. They’re just not feeling it physically.”
The 32-year-old Illinois native was serving in the US Navy during the longest shutdown in US history, which lasted 35 days, from December 2018 to January 2019, during US President Donald Trump’s first term.
Members of the military aren’t furloughed during shutdowns, so he says that government closure didn’t have a big impact on him.
Now, as a civilian who works as a government contractor, Perez said he feels differently this time knowing how the shutdown is affecting his friends in Washington.
“Imagine what you’re not seeing in low-income families that also happen to be federal employees who are currently furloughed,” Perez said.
“Imagine what they’re going through. And I’m just out here simply running.”
If Perez had stuck to his self-designed rules, he would have run 190 miles by Monday NZT.
Instead, he has run more than 230 miles, because of extra mileage he took on in the challenge’s early days and his participation in the recent Chicago and Baltimore marathons.
He documents the runs - and provides updates on the shutdown - in videos on Instagram and TikTok.
“I’m going to use it as an opportunity to educate myself while also sharing what I learn with all of you,” Perez says in the first video of the series.
“Times like this are an incredible opportunity for us to step up and learn about the functions and dysfunctions of our country.”
In that video, Perez acknowledges how difficult the challenge is likely to be.
“Hopefully this ends soon,” he says. “Obviously so that my friends can get paid. And I hope that for the sake of my legs.”
Runners tend to have race dates that they’re working towards as they train, according to Iwona Kesting, co-founder of the Northeast Track Club in Washington. That’s what makes Perez’s challenge particularly difficult.
“He has committed to this without knowing the date that it’s over,” said Kesting, who has known Perez for years. “That is probably the craziest part.”
Perez has gained about 30,000 more Instagram followers since starting the challenge, bringing his total to more than 160,000.
“People like these kinds of challenges because they essentially want to see me fail. People want to see how much I can grind it out,” he said.
“Knowing that it was going to get views, I figured, why not take that and make it a teaching moment?”
In Perez’s videos, he runs while explaining things like what the Hatch Act is, who counts as an essential worker, why voting in local elections is important and how filibusters work.
Blending running content with politics has been surprisingly successful, according to Perez. His theory is that running content is a disarming and unexpected vehicle for political discussion.
The feedback has been mostly positive, Perez said. Some senators and representatives, whom he declined to name, have asked to partner in videos. Furloughed workers have messaged to thank Perez for caring. Other viewers just like the videos.
“Thank you for your objective explanations. I have been so frustrated because everyone is putting a ‘spin’ on it,” one social media user commented.
“Thanks for educating me while working your ass off,” another wrote.
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