The 2013–14 season has already been a banner one for the Denver Broncos and Peyton Manning, who surpassed Dan Marino’s career passing yards mark. But the quarterback isn’t the only former Colt shredding records in the Mile High City. Thunder—the 20-year-old Arabian gelding who has led the Broncos out of the tunnel and galloped the length of the field after each scoring drive for the past 10 years—broke the team’s record for the most field-length sprints in a single game after the Broncos’ 52-20 trouncing of the Philadelphia Eagles on September 29. In the last decade, the 14.2-hand-high horse has made approximately 400 total trips up and down the gridiron. And if the team makes it to the Super Bowl (fingers crossed!), Thunder will gear up for his longest trip yet: 1,777 miles to East Rutherford, New Jersey, where he will be on the sidelines helping the Broncos gallop to victory.

5280.com Exclusive: Learn more about Thunder’s training in this supplementary video.

5280 January 2014
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