U-Top It Owner Dean Karnazes is Out— On a 3,000-mile Run!

Don’t expect to see Dean Karnazes, a Ross resident and the owner of the newly opened U-Top It yogurt shop, for a few months—unless of course you tune in to LIVE! with Regis and Kelly on national TV.

Karnazes—an ultramarathoner with a predilection for multi-hundred mile races, a national bestselling author (his new book RUN! came out this week too), and star of the documentary film, Ultramarathon Man: 50 Marathons, 50 States, in 50 Days—is also an inspirational speaker for eating right and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

That’s the message behind a nearly 3,000 mile run Karnazes is tackling in partnership with Regis and Kelly. Running 40-50 miles a day for nearly 75 days, Karnazes started his journey. The goal of the run is to inspire people of all ages to join on the journey to a healthier life, and to combat childhood obesity nationwide.

“[Regis and Kelly] came to me and said that the country is in dire need of getting back in shape. The rate of childhood obesity is epidemic,” said Karnazes. “I’m going to run by 25 schools along the way and then stop and give a talk about healthy living at each one.” The students can then join him to jog a mile or two as he gets back on the road.

“This cause is so important. I travel the country quite extensively, and here in Marin the kids are more fit,” he said. “But elsewhere, they’re not nearly so healthy. They’re obese by nine or 10.”

Karnazes brings this same commitment to nutrition and healthy living to , where he aspires to use as many natural and organic ingredients as possible. “We are very choosy about our vendors to make sure we bring in the very best,” he said. 

So while Karnazes is running, it begs the question: Who is left behind to tend the yogurt?

“My wife, Julie! Now she has two businesses to run,” he said, noting her dental practice in San Francisco and U-Top It, which just celebrated its debut on Feb. 11. “That woman is a saint and an angel. Little did I know that I’d be invited to run across the country right after opening!”

Karnazes credits Jennifer Ketels, a childhood friend who now lives in Redding, for getting him into the yogurt business.

“It probably wasn’t the best time ever to start a business, but I thought, ‘What the heck!’” he exclaimed. “Let’s go for it! I mean, if not now when?”  

“I’ve always wanted to open up a yogurt shop. But I know everything that goes into starting a business … it’s a lot of perspiration,” Karnazes said, referring to his suit-wearing days working for Fortune 500 companies and startups. He says all the nitty-gritty of operating U-Top It—selecting vendors, ordering, etc.—is in Ketels’ domain and why he thinks she was the perfect choice of partner for this venture.

When Karnazes returns from his epic run, he and Ketels have big plans for U-Top It. He says they’re already looking at multiple locations across Marin to expand. “We want to keep it locally-owned and operated,” said Karnazes.

“We’re also going to start a breakfast service, with self-serve steel-cut oats and 20 toppings that you select—so you can make your own masterpiece,” said Karnazes. “It’s a ‘power to the people’ type of concept,” he adds with a laugh.

True to his passion, he also wants to hold a 5K race this summer that starts at U-Top It and continues up San Anselmo Avenue past mine and my husband's store, Marin Running Company.

As both a San Anselmo business owner and running devotee, I think Karnazes is one of the best things to that have happened to our town in quite a while, and particularly the area known as Baja San Anselmo, the sleepier southern section of San Anselmo Avenue.

“I thought that that end of town needed a revival,” he said. “There was no energy down there.”

And energy is certainly something that Karnazes has in scoopfuls. His infectious personality and ability to bring national media attention to San Anselmo is something that all local businesses can celebrate. Anyone care to toast to that with some Margarita Sorbet at U-Top It?

You can follow Karnaze's run here.