When the phone call came 2 1/2 years ago, then-Marlins president David Samson was pitching a seemingly ludicrous idea to Jeff Conine of running seven marathons (each 26.2 miles) on seven continents on seven consecutive days, Samson prefaced it this way:
“Don’t say no right away.”
Conine agreed to do it but never thought it was especially likely to come to fruition.
Yet here he stood Monday at his charity golf tournament, just days away from a Thursday flight to launch this 183.4 mile odyssey that will benefit 11 charities.