The Rev. Michael Alello set two PRs [personal records] at the Louisiana Marathon on Sunday: a 4:03:28 for the actual race and an even more impressive 27-minute Catholic Mass that began an hour before he ran his 26.2 miles. As he told Runner’s World last week, Alello offered runners a chance to gather and pray at St. Joseph’s Cathedral, which is just a few blocks from the race’s start and finish line. About 800 people took him up on the offer of his “26.2-minute” Mass, making it a standing-room only gathering. “For 6 a.m. on a Sunday morning, that’s pretty awesome,” Alello told Runner’s World on Tuesday by phone. Even with longer than expected lines for communion, the Mass ended in about 27 minutes—and yes, there was a running clock in the sanctuary by the altar. Runners were welcomed to attend the Mass in their running gear before heading to the starting corrals. Alello joined them by having his running shoes, leggings, shorts, and shirt on under his vestments. “I had my fuel belt on as well because the microphone did not have a clip, and I didn’t have pockets in my running shorts,” he said. “So my microphone was attached to me with my running belt.”
Photo: Robert Sciambra / Runner’s World
And today we celebrate...