Some people dream of being a doctor, traveling the world, living a grand luxurious life surrounded by warm beaches and fresh coconuts. My dream? I want to run a 100-mile race.
Is that crazy? Is that even possible?? Now that I’ve immersed myself in the ultra world, it doesn’t seem all that insane. But if I take a step back… an average 100-mile race will take 28 hours. That’s running in the heat of the day, darkness of the night, and again through sunrise, without sleeping. If I really think through the details – blistered feet, aching muscles, monotonous running through barren nothingness – I can’t imagine how this came to me as a dream.
But nevertheless, I fell hard into the ultra world. I bought Chris McDougall’s book Born to Run and was captivated by the Tarahumara (Rarámuri), who run hundreds of miles a day in the Copper Canyons. On a diet of corn and beans. While wearing huaraches (sandals)! One of the characters in McDougall’s book caught my attention and I ended up buying his book too. Of course, it was none other than Scott Jurek’s Eat & Run. Scott’s approach to his nutrition was eye-opening to me, as he’s a top performing athlete on a vegan diet. I devoured those two books in a matter of days, albeit I stayed up till 3am one night finishing the latter. I mean, I had to.
I can’t pinpoint why I’m so excited about ultrarunning. But there’s something about being in nature for hours, on your own two feet, covering distances unimaginable, that’s so compelling to me. Of course, I also stumbled upon Billy Yang’s amazing films which strip away the grueling nature of these races (for the most part) and highlights the strength, endurance, and grit of these athletes.
Maybe that’s why. Maybe I want to be one of those athletes. To have that will and strength in myself to finish such a physically tough, but equally, mentally draining race.
This will continue to be a question I ask myself as I embark on this journey. Why am I doing this? Am I running towards something greater? Or running from my deepest fears? Along the way, I hope to share my newbie experiences with you. To show you that a regular, non-super human can also run these long distances. And if you’re just starting your ultra journey, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below!
And with that, I’ll leave you with a particularly moving quote from Scott’s book.
A lot of people never do something great with their lives. A lot of people never attempt it. Everyone here has done both.
context: the feeling right before an ultra, surrounded by other athletes
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