SIMPLE EXTRAORDINARY- A FATHER'S PROMISE

Loren Thomas is unlike any other septuagenarian you will ever meet.

- JOHN KELLMAYER

The 70-year-old Thomas, who could pass for Tom Cruise’s older brother, is a retired New Jersey school leader. The former superintendent of the Salem County Special Services and Vocational Technical School District, former superintendent of the Pittsgrove Township School District and former principal at several schools, Thomas is busy planning to enter a 100-mile race and to ride his motorcycle across the United States, camping along the way. Technically, he is not retired, as Thomas volunteers as a yoga and environmental teacher and mentors Temple University grad students in education.

Thomas has a compulsion that seems to originate within his DNA, stimulating like an electrical current every bone, muscle and nerve fiber in his 5-foot-9-inch, 175-pound frame and manifesting as a relentless and unquenchable drive for movement. He seeks movement the way the Kardashians seek publicity or, on a more elemental level, the way a plant grows toward the sunlight.

He describes himself as having an addictive personality and is grateful that he never used drugs or alcohol. Thomas’ addiction has driven him to complete 101 marathons and ultramarathons, including several runs of more than 50 miles, and one 24-hour run without stopping. “My friends describe me as a genetic anomaly,” he said, referring to the fact that his body seems to thrive on the intense workloads and his recovery from super endurance events is remarkably fast.