Running

Venturing Beyond the Marathon

by Laura Clark

There’s an ultra with your name on it…
…If you have several marathons under your belt and are ready for the next challenge.
…If you realize that no matter how old you get, your steady pace will never qualify you for Boston.
…If you long to become your own hero.

My personal journey beyond the marathon began last March with the Moby Dick Uphill Road Race at Mount Greylock in Lanesboro, Mass. As I was plugging along, Barbara Sorrell, a long distance veteran, passed me and commented that with my steady pace I’d make a good ultra runner. “Huh?” I thought, “You mean I’m not just slow?” Fighting my way up that mountain in near blizzard conditions was the most difficult thing I had ever done. At one point, death seemed a distinct possibility. However, the elation and satisfaction I experienced at the summit afforded me a glimpse into the attraction of extreme events. I decided I wanted more.

And so began my introduction to the world of ultra running. Technically, an ultra is defined as any race greater than marathon (26.2 miles) in length. The most common distances are 50K (31 miles), 50 miles and 100 miles, but there are many variations in between. According to John Parker, author of And Then the Vulture Eats You, multi-day and multi-event races also count as long as the cumulative mileage is greater than 26.2 miles. While ultras are typically run on more knee-friendly trails, some take to the roads and a few involve endless circles around a stadium track. Some require a support crew while others, like the Adirondack’s Damn Wakely Dam Ultra insist that runners pack food, water filters and overnight gear as part of the adventure.

As a first timer, I figured it would be enough of a challenge just to complete the required distance. I was also searching for an area where family members could enjoy themselves while I was on my eight-hour odyssey. I lucked out with the Finger Lakes Fifties Trail Runs. Held this year on Saturday, July 5, the Fifties are actually three separate events: a 50K, a 50-miler and a 25K. All athletes travel on the same 25K loop on trails, dirt roads, cow pastures and a few stretches of token pavement. The loop begins and ends at the Potomac Campground at the Finger Lakes National Forest in Hector, where participants are offered free camping. Available lodging anywhere on Fourth of July weekend is alone worth the price of admission.

Family members who are not quite as committed will enjoy running and hiking the 25K and then settling back with some delicious chicken barbecue while they watch the rest of us complete our circles. If this doesn’t appeal, there is always kayaking, swimming and, of course, winery touring. Do purchase a NYS Passport, however, as you will find it is needed to take full advantage of the recreational facilities.

The only downside to the Fifties course is that it is tempting to quit short of achieving your goal. The choice between eating chicken and grinding out still another loop is a tough one. But as someone not totally convinced I could go the distance, I did not want to be stranded in the woods with the only option being a lengthy hike back to civilization. Unlike many trail races, the Fifties provides aid stations roughly every three miles, which gives you a further margin of safety. With 78 finishers in the 2002 edition, the Finger Lakes would be considered a smallish event by marathon standards. However, because of the loop logistics, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was seldom running alone.

Training
So once you’ve decided to step up to a 50K, how do you train? While there is a glut of books on preparing for a first marathon, little can be found on first ultras. Most promising is Ultrarunning magazine’s new compendium, A Step Beyond: A Definitive Guide to Ultrarunning, which can be ordered from their website. Fortunately, however, there are plenty of internet sites that supply the necessary pointers along with individual accounts that give you a personal glimpse into the unique flavor of the event.

Even after exploring these sites, however, you will still have many unanswerable questions. For example, there are not as many training schedules for ultras as there are for marathons. And if you do find one, it may not be wise to follow it precisely. Some runners can handle mega mileage weeks; others simply cannot. Many discover they have a life other than running, with family and job commitments to squeeze in. If your initial venture into unknown territory is a 50K event, you can follow your normal marathon training regime and work up to a five or six hour long run.

I asked Nikki Kimball of Elizabethtown, the 50-mile overall winner at the 2001 Finger Lakes Fifties, how I could combine my spring uphill mountain races with my longer distance training, and she suggested that I follow my Saturday race with a Sunday run/walk. Since I would be beginning my Sunday workout still tired from the day before, this would simulate conditions I would experience during my ultra.

It must have worked, since I completed my first 50K in an hour less than my goal time of eight hours. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the next day I was (almost) ready to go again. Softer trails and a slower pace combined with lots of walking breaks were much easier on my body than the typical road marathon. The atmosphere, too, is a lot less competitive, with more of a “we’re all in this together attitude.” Would I do it again? Absolutely! I’m signing up for the 2003 Finger Lakes Fifties and excited about renewing the friendships I made last year.

For more information:

• Finger Lakes Fifties
• Damn Wakely Dam Ultra – Sold out for ‘03
• Ultrarunning
  

Other 50Ks:

• May 18: Highland Forest 1-2-3 Trail Run – 10, 20 & 30-mile loops. Highland County Park, Fabius. www.syracusechargers.org.
• Sept. 14: Pisgah Trail Race – 23K & 50K. Chesterfield, NH. www.nerunner.com.

Laura Clark (laurac@sspl.org), an avid trail runner, snowshoer and cross-country skier, is a children and young adult’s librarian at the Saratoga Springs Public Library.

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