WALKER, Mich. — From the base of the hand to its tip-top fingertip, a Michigan ultramarathoner will attempt to 'Split the Mitten' for charity, running the length of the Lower Peninsula in eight days.
"I want to push myself to the extreme," said Max Polakovich, who plans to run on behalf of AYA Youth Collective, a Grand Rapids nonprofit.
"I haven't yet found my breaking point," he said. "And I'm going to keep going until I do."
On Friday, May 23, Polakovich will start his run at Michigan's southern border in Michiana. He'll then travel towards Grand Rapids, ride the White Pine Trail though Cadillac and, ideally, finish in Mackinaw City on May 30.
While the route, as currently mapped out, is two miles short of 400, Polakovich says he'll do what it takes to reach the perfect number.
"I don't care how many people are waiting for me to finish," he said. "I will run in a circle until we hit 400 [miles]."
A former college rugby player, Polakovich has only been a runner for around a year.
"I don't love running fast, but I love running far," he said. "I basically got the bug for endurance running."
In March 2024, he began training for the Holland Haven Marathon and also entered a lottery to run a 50-mile overnight ultramarathon in Texas.
Polakovich said he put his name in the pot "out of spite" as one of his buddies told him he had "no business" participating in the competition.
The West Michigan resident wound up winning a spot and finished the race. Eight weeks prior to crossing the finish line, the longest distance he had ever run was ten miles.
"Since then, it's just been looking for what's next," Polakovich said. "How can I get bigger than that, and just continue to push myself and do things that I know I can do, but also terrify me?"
In order to Split the Mitten, the ultramarathoner plans to run 50 miles a day. A crew of around ten — riding along in an RV or a tail car — will help him on his journey through the Lower Peninsula.
For fuel, Polakovich will try to consume 500 milligrams of electrolytes and 400 calories an hour (7,000 calories per day). While rice and ground beef will be the baseline for his meals, he'll snack on junk food while on the move.
"Donuts, fruit gushers, all the foods my mom didn't let me have growing up as a kid," he said. "You cannot eat 7,000 calories a day of healthy food."
Another one of Polakovich's goals? Raise
$50,000 for AYA Youth Collective, a nonprofit that serves 14- to 24-year-olds facing homelessness or housing crises.
A mortgage lender by day, the charity "aligned" with Polakovich's career.
"I am helping people get into homes. They are helping kids who are homeless get into a better living situation," he said.
As far as he's researched, he'll set an unofficial record when he completes the 400-mile run.
"I know that pain cave is coming," he said. "I know we're going back there, and it's going to be waking up every day, getting through it."
To donate to Polakovich's campaign and AYA Youth Collective, click here.
