Relentless Forward Progress_ A Guide to Running Ultramarathons - Bryon Powell [83]
I think this is precisely why many ultrarunners love stage races: Even though each day of the race isn’t necessarily an ultramarathon distance, ultramarathons and stage races both require the management of a number of changing variables. Ultrarunners find these races attractive, too, because they travel through some of the same exotic places and trails as ultramarathons. Simply put, we ultrarunners are attracted to the challenging and the beautiful.
I’m a stage-racing fiend. In my five years of ultrarunning, I’ve completed four stage races in three different countries. While I’ve only sampled the world’s buffet of these races, my hands-down favorite is Morocco’s Marathon des Sables. In this race, nearly 1,000 competitors from more than 80 countries gather in the northern reaches of the Sahara Desert to run 150 miles over the course of seven days. Between days of racing, competitors live in an immense, nomadic race camp. At the end of the week, the competitor with the lowest cumulative time for the racing days becomes the winner.
I am often asked why I love MdS, as the race is known. I have no singular answer. Morocco possesses a charming, if unusual, culture. The orange sands of the Sahara Desert are beautiful enough to have their own siren call. Running with a massive group of runners from every end of our earth is invigorating. And the challenge of plying my body and mind to stay healthy for day upon day of racing is a fun one.
Dream It, Do It
If you haven’t figured out the root of this ultrarunning business quite yet, I’m about to let you in on the sport’s secret. Happiness. Simple, isn’t it?
Many ultrarunners are driven, in part, by competition, by setting and achieving goals, or by spending time in attractive natural settings. But each of those motivations can be traced back to that secret: doing stuff that makes you happy.
So get out there and dream big and beyond category, all right?
Meghan M. Hicks is an adventurer who transitioned from the worlds of track, cross-country, and, later, marathons to ultramarathons, adventure runs, and stage races. She finished second female at the 2009 Marathon des Sables. As a writer and outdoor educator, Meghan highlights the close connections among people, place, and physical activity on her website, www.MeghanMHicks.com, in national publications, and in national parks.
APPENDIX: BAREFOOT RUNNING AND ULTRAMARATHONS
Michael Sandler and Jessica Lee
Ultradistance running can be one of the most enjoyable experiences on earth. Learn to run light and free and you’ll find yourself running in the zone, effortlessly clicking off mile after mile, seeming to glide above the trails with your feet barely touching the ground
I’ve been a long-distance runner and ultra-endurance athlete for many years. In addition to spending a summer camping out at almost 13,000 feet in Leadville, Colorado, to run all of her trails, I spent years trying to tick off every trail in the Pikes Peak region (preferably near or above tree line) before moving to northern Colorado. There I used Ironman training as an excuse to run everything I could in Rocky Mountain National Park and other alpine regions, typically with 8-to-10-hour runs.
I’m no stranger to long-distance events; in fact, you could call me an addict. To me, there’s nothing better than heading out my backyard for an 8-to-12-hour “run around the block,” as I like to call my adventures, except, of course, doing the same thing more than 11,000 feet above sea level. There’s something magical to me about running above the tree line.
After my near-death accident five years ago, I was told I would never run again. I have a titanium femur, titanium hip, I’ve had 10 knee operations, I have almost