CHICAGO (WGN) — The sun rose over Lake Michigan as Joe Goodkin, 48, shuffled along the shoreline.

“I really like who I am when I’m running,” he said.

Goodkin, who majored in classics at the University of Wisconsin, is on a journey of self-discovery that echoes the epic adventure of Greek hero Odysseus.

“Odysseus as the hero is this guy who has to endure a lot to get to his goal,” Goodkin said.

Now a full-time musician, he’s traveled the world presenting his own songs inspired by the epic poems of Homer.

“My odyssey is both the story and my own journey through telling the story,” Goodkin said.

His odyssey plays out on running paths in the punishing sport of ultra endurance running.

“The more I got into ultra running and ultra-endurance events,” he said, “I felt like the experience th

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