You may just be curious how it's done. Maybe you intend on running 100 miles (160.93K); This article is a great overview for the curious and the aspirational alike. It includes travel, my experience, history, the training miles required, 3 ladders to success based on your personality type, and finally the gear needed.
Definitions and necessary info
A marathon is 26.2 miles (42.16K).
An ultra marathon is any distance over 26.2 miles
A stage race is non-continuous multi-day ultra marathon. In other words you sleep and the clock isn't running nor are you :)
An ultra runner is anyone who has completed a race longer than a marathon.
Travel
While traveling is fun, travel with a purpose is the most fun. let us use the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc as an example. Have you ever thought you could run through 3 counties in one of the most beautiful mountains ranges in the world? You can. Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc crosses 3 countries on foot (France, Italy and Switzerland), covers 166 kilometres and 9,400 metres climb in one fell swoop. Most of the beautiful places in the world have ultra marathons. Click here to see a Men's Health article that will help you with some great destinations. In addition to creating an incentive to travel, you will have a better travel experience overall if you have a significant other or group of friends that are running the same race.
My experience
My belief is that anyone who is motivated and ambulatory has the ability to run an ultra marathon. Can you run one right after reading this article? It is possible but unlikely. However with training I think most people can. Last year I ran my first 100 mile (160.93k) race. While it was challenging, I completed it a few hours before the cutoff time. It included over 24 thousand feet of elevation gain with temperatures above 90F in the mountains. Leading up to the race, my personal previous experience included 2 marathons and a 62 mile (100k) race.
Why and How?
Most people ask why and how anyone would ever desire to run 100 miles. As to the why, the reasons are as varied as the type of runners on the course, however I personally enjoy challenges, always have. If you like chess, crossword puzzles, Pokemon Go, etc. you are drawn to the challenges. While these things are generally mental, running 100 miles is a challenge for the mind, body and the will. For others, it can be fitness, community, expectation, a bet, charity, bragging rights, finishers metal, etc. As to the how, read on.
Training
Anyone giving advice on how to run 100 miles will tell you that you need to run for 6 months (after an initial base mileage) at 50-120 miles per week (50-70 for weekend warriors) with periodic long runs of 20-30 miles and one really really long run of 50 miles. That still leaves 50 unexplored miles prior to toeing the starting line unless you have completed a 100k. Anyone competing in a 100 mile race will always have doubts. Though, the more you condition your body and mind, the less you have to rely on will. Personally, I run intermittent low-mileage. Generally 20-35 miles per week with one or two weeks @ 70 miles. My long long runs are generally not over 23 miles. Why? To spend the most possible time relying on the will, is to touch the depth of who you are; pick it up, hold it to the light, turn it over in your hands and examine it. That and I can be lazy :)
The first marathon and the pursuit of ultra running
Pheidippides, (530 BC-490 BC) was an ancient Greek, and a professional runner who's job would be to relayed wartime correspondence. In the course of performing his duties, he would cover approximately 175 miles over two days . According to ancient Greek texts, Pheidippides would be sent to the Spartans, petitioning for fighting men that would help stem the onslaught of the invading Persians. He ran approximately 150 miles or (240 km), to complete this task. When he returned, the Greeks had beaten the invading army. For his next task, he ran 25 miles (40km) to relay the good news from the field of Marathon to the people of Athens. This was the first Persian invasion, the second of would prompt the famed last stand of the 300 Spartans at Thermopylae. Following the successful deliver of the good news, he would die. His heroics would earn him a place in history and conscript him into the pantheon of Greek immortality.
The run was celebrated in the olympic games as a 25 mile race until the 1908 London Olympics. Stretching from Windsor Castle to White City stadium the distance covered 26 miles. However, to locate the finish line in front of the royal family's viewing box, an extra 385 yards was added. While the marathon was considered a great distance achievement, some people decided to explore distances closer to the first run of Pheidippides.
The first modern ultra marathon to remain a staple was the Western States 100 formerly The Tevis Cup “100 Miles – One Day” Ride, which was a mountain race for horse mounted riders. Gordy Ainsleigh, a veteran Tevis Cup rider decided to cover the entire distance on foot finishing in of Twenty-three hours and forty-two minutes. This opened the floodgates to 100 mile races, though at the time it was more like a trickle rather an a burst of enthusiasm.
Mind Body Will
There are three components to running long distances: body, mind, and will. If you spend a lot of time running, you will be a better runner and longer distances will not be as much of a challenge for your body, so it will not be as mentally taxing if your goal is just to finish. If you are less prepared, your body, lacking the requisite ability to cope, will naturally cause you to spend more time in "the suck". This can be quite mentally taxing. If you prepare with a relative light regiment, you will spend a lot of time with a body that hurts, a mind that goes, and will have to rely on willpower. Personally, if I just want to run the race, I don't prepare as much because it can be fun to go out and see what the will is capable of. We are all in different places in our journey and have different reasons for what we do, including running. In the next section recommendations are given based on personality type.
Recommended "ladders" to success
Here are my 3 ladders for ultra-running success. While I am not a coach or running God, this is a handy starting plan. I have broken it down for 3 personality types:
Skeptical
Believer
Overachiever
Skeptical
If you are skeptical, not as fit as a fiddle, or have just never really ran, try this ladder...
Run in this order:
-5k
-10k
-Half Marathon 13.1 miles
-Marathon26.2 miles
-50k
50 mile
62 mile
100 mile
Believer
You have a history of running (maybe a 5k-Marathon) and feel like you could have done more, try this ladder...
Run in this order...
Marathon
50 mile
100 mile
Overachiever
You have been an active person for much of your life, and love to do things that are hard. The harder the better.
Run in this order...
50k
100k (62 miles)
100 (miles)
some people jump to 100 miles right from a marathon (26.2 miles) They take great pride in making their first ultra-marathon a 100 mile race.
if you can comfortably (relative) do 50 miles you can do 100. Not at the same pace, however you can finish.
100 Mile Race Gear
Test all your essential gear beforehand. I once ran a 100k in shoes I had never worn. I paid the price as my ankles swelled over the sides of the shoes and each step was quite painful. Get toe socks. This will keep the blisters away and the hotspots at bay. Use copious amounts of vaseline under your arms, on your feet, in between your toes, and naturally in between your thighs. Make sure your running backpack is broken in and you have used it on your long runs. Always have two headlamps and make sure they have new batteries.
Below are a few essentials...
Entrance fees for 100 mile races range from $300-900.00 USD. Shoes $150.00 USD. Ultra hydration pack (backpack) $75-$120 USD . As you can see this can turn into an investment between 1-2k, however it should not stop you from getting out there and starting.
ultra running backpack with water bottles or CamelBak
extra socks (get toe socks)
headlamp (scattered illumination not a circular light. Don't buy the cheap kind as looking at this light for hours on end will cause hallucinations)
vaseline or Bodyglide (I prefer vaseline because it lasts longer and you can apply more at once)
bandanas or cotton rags (I like headbands by Buff)
gel packets (I prefer the organic kind as you could eat an upwards of 30 in one race)
chapstick (I like Blistex)
ibuprofin, asprin and tylenol
tums
salt pills
electrolyte tablets
alcohol wipes and antibiotic ointment
nu-skin
moleskin
ace bandage
band-aids
sports tape & foam pre-wrap
scissors
safety pins (for blisters. just have a match or lighter to heat it up)
baby wipes
tissues (something soft)
sunscreen (70-100 spf in hot-unprotected areas)
tecnu (for poison oak)
In summation, I hope this has inspired someone to run, given another an excuse to travel, and equipped an aspiring ultra runner with all the necessary information. Post any questions, comments, or goals you may have. Very soon I will be posting more descriptive articles on the actual experience of running 100 miles and the lessons learned. Stay tuned and thanks Steemit community!
#running #marathon #ultrarunning #ultramarathon #sports #howto