Dr. Anthony Fauci is maintaining a punishing schedule as he helps lead the fight against the coronavirus as it spreads across the nation.
Yet he still finds time to run.
The 79-year-old director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has long been known in Washington for both his running and his grueling work schedules. He’s even run in marathons. Now, the real marathon is in his work hours: Fauci told The New York Times he’s sleeping just five hours a night and working most of the other 19.
And he told both the Times and Yahoo News that he still finds time to run:
In a video posted in 2016 by the National Institute On Aging, Fauci said that he runs an hour about five or six times a week to help keep his weight down and because it makes him feel good. But there was another reason, too.
“Mostly I think the benefit for me is a stress-reliever because I have a pretty high-stress job,” he said in the clip.
At the time, Fauci was already working 15 hours a day. Now, he’s working even longer hours in the wake of the new pandemic threat facing the nation that’s no doubt leading to even higher stress levels.
“I’m not worried about myself,” he told the Times. “I’m worried about the job I have to do.”
Twitter users were inspired by his work ethic and his dedication to running: