Tired of Running Marathons? Try an Ultra-marathon

Participants in the Pisgah 50K Ultramarathon. (Sean Hurley, NHPR)

Sound: Whistle Blowing.

Race Starter John Tobey: There’s gonna be two commands...Set...Go....Have fun everybody! Set...Go!!

John Lacroix started running in 2004.

John: I was 23 when I ran my first ultramarathon. And I said I would never do it again, but I kept training.

John has run 20 ultras now, some as far as a hundred miles, some taking more than 24 hours.

The one we’re in today is 50 kilometers.

A little over 31 miles, most of it along the wilderness trails inside the Pisgah State Park.

It’s a rainy day and the terrain is rough – rocks and mud. John expects to be on his feet 6 or 7 hours for this race.

I won’t be with him long.

Maybe 4 miles if I’m lucky.

For some people, running isn’t just exercise, it’s a form of expression.

A way to burn off excess energies, physical and psychological.

John: I used to be a very negative person. Had some anger issues. I think ultra running has brought some closure to my life. You know, it’s not all about me. It’s about everyone. It’s about this place we live in. And I have nothing to be angry about. I could better waste my energy here trying to run 30 miles than being angry about something.

We’ve been warned about flooding on the trail and sure enough we come to an opening in the woods where a glassy pond flows loosely down over the path into the lower forest.

Sean: Is this the water they were talking about?
John: Yep, this is an all-out stream we’re running down.
FX: Footsteps splashing in deep water.

But these obstacles aren’t important.

John’s not trying to set a course record.

John: Absolutely not. In ultras its different, you’re not running against each other you’re running against yourself.

There are only a handful of people who can run 100 miles without stopping.

John’s method is more typical.

From time to time, at a steep hill for example, or if he just needs to take a break, he’ll slow to a walk.

Eat a power gel or electrolyte tablet.

Take in some water.

Let his body recover.

It’s all about getting to the finish line.

About doing something you don’t think you can.

"Start off slow and ease off": A participant in the Pisgah 50K Ultramarathon. (Sean Hurley, NHPR)

John: ….. Ultra runners have this joke…..Start off slow and ease off….. We’re gonna just settle into the race and get comfortable, let our muscles remember what we’re doing here, and then kind of struggle together. Mile 20 is typically when people say you hit the wall. I’ve run so many hundred milers and longer races now that I probably won’t fall apart here today. But in a 100 mile race I typically start to come unglued around mile 60 or 65.
Sean: And what is the state of unglued?
John: (laughs) The state of unglued is kind of hallucinating maybe. A little delusional. Grumpy, really tired, want to go to sleep. You start craving some of your favorite foods that you know you can’t eat today until you’re done. ….
Sean: Sounds like being stranded on a desert island.
John: Well in essence you are. And you’re on your island and you got to find out how to get off the island and back with civilization.

Running is very private, very island-like.

It demands a great deal of certain kind of concentration.

And while an ultramarathon intensifies the isolation by pushing the body to its limits, the end result is the opposite of loneliness.

John: There’s so few people that do this kind of thing. So when you get to a race and you start seeing the same people, you tend to get close to each other. Especially in those moments when you’re struggling out here. One of your friends might come along who’s doing a lot better than you and offer some support. And that’s what we’re here for. We’re here for each other. We’re not here against each other. It’s really nice. That’s really what attracts people to the sport. How close we are.

The forest is beautiful.

This fellowship idea and even the hardship of the race are appealing.

How far can I go without risking trouble?

John: A couple of my buddies and I, we like to train at night. We did this one run where we ran the Kancamagus Highway from Conway to Lincoln. It’s 35 miles. And we did it in February. Started in Conway at 7:00 o’clock at night. It was 1 below at the top of Kancamagus Pass.
Sean: And what is that, is that like 6 or 7 miles up hill?
John: The Kancamagus Highway from Conway to Lincoln, it’s actually 26 miles up hill, and then you finally start to run down hill.
Sean: Is this a good memory for you?
John: Oh it’s awesome. One of my favorite training runs to date. You know that night on the Kancamagus we had a full moon, we didn’t even need our headlamps. The moon lit everything up. It was beautiful. The snow. There was so much snow. The whole world glowed that night. It was just us. Nobody else. It was amazing.
Sean: Well I think I should turn around, before –
John: Before you get lost.
Sean: Bye guys. Good race.

FX: Footsteps running back alone.

John Lacroix went on to finish the Pisgah 50k in 6 hours and 31 minutes.

Later this month Lacroix and his friend, Nate Sanel, plan a charity run across New Hampshire, from Chesterfield to Ordiorne State Park.

The 134 mile run should take around 36 hours.

For NHPR News, I’m Sean Hurley.