Ultramarathons

Transcript

1. Ultramarathons "100 miles is not that far" - Karl Meltzer
2. My personal history Ran two marathons. Dallas in 2010 and Wichita in 2011. Last year I did the Leadville Heavy Half Marathon as well as my first ultramarathon: Palo Duro 50 mile Planned races for this year: Colorado marathon, North Fork 50k, Pikes Peak ascent, and Heartland 100
3. What is an ultramarathon? A footrace longer than a marathon Common distances: 50k, 50m, 100k, 100m There are also 12 hour and 24 hour races
4. Ultramarathon vs Marathon Ultras tend to be on trails and hilly, while marathons are on roads and flat Ultras tend to have far fewer spectators Ultras are more about completing the race rather than trying to finish in a fast time
5. Ultramarathon history Gordy Ansleigh completed the Tevis Cup (100 mile horse trail ride) on foot in 1974. First official Western States Endurance Run was in 1977. World's oldest 100 mile trail run. There have been other "ultra" distance races long before this, but this was kind of the start of the popularity boom
6. Rise in popularity Many races hold lotteries and/or require the runners to qualify before entering In the most popular races it isn't uncommon for only about 10-20% of the applicants to get accepted
7. Popular races Western States 100 - http://www.wser.org/ - 18,000' gain and 23,000' loss - Requires qualifying time to enter lottery - Fastest time: 14:46:44 (approx 8:50/mi) Leadville 100 - http://www.leadvilleraceseries.com/ - Extreme altitude: 9,200 - 12,600 feet - 15,600' gain and loss - Fastest time: 15:42:00 (approx 9:25/mi)
8. Extreme races Badwater - http://www.badwater.com/ - 135 mile race through Death Valley - Temperature can get up to 130 fahrenheit Self Transcendence 3100 Mile Race - http://3100.srichinmoyraces.org/ - Run on a 0.5488 mile loop around a city block in Queens, NY - Attempt to complete 5649 laps within 52 days
9. Crazy records Pacific Crest Trail - 2655 miles - 65 days, 9 hours, 58 minutes (unsupported) John Muir Trail (Yosemite Valley) - 223 miles - 3 days, 13 hours, 14 minutes (unsupported) Tahoe Rim Trail - 165 miles - 38 hours, 32 minutes
10. Why run an ultramarathon? Push yourself to your limits Feeling of accomplishment Scenery and being out in nature Eat and drink whatever you want
11. Is it dangerous? Hyponatremia - not enough sodium in bodily fluids - caused by excessive water intake - solution: intake electrolytes, drink when thirsty Hypernatremia - too much sodium - most likely caused from dehydration Some races weigh you before and during race - must stay within 7% of starting weight
12. Famous runners Anton Krupicka - Two time winner of Leadville Scott Jurek - Seven straight wins at Western States - Won Badwater twice
13. Training for an ultramarathon Start out easy and build up mileage over weeks Allow 4-6 months to prepare Practice eating and drinking on long runs Cross training Back to back long runs Night running Tapering
14. Eating and drinking Water, Gatorade, Accelerade, Tailwind, Coke Gels and salt tablets Some food options: - bananas, oranges, watermelon, etc - potato chips, potatoes - pb&j sandwiches, m&m's, soup
15. Running gear Shoes, GPS watch Compression clothing Water bottles, hydration vests Moleskins, vaseline, bodyglide
16. During the race Aid stations - About every 2-10 miles Crews - Friends that help you throughout the race - Alternative option: use drop bags Pacers - Runs a portion of the race with you
17. Race strategy Run x minutes, walk x minutes Walk hills Aid station to aid station Planned intervals on when to eat/drink
18. Where to find out more Born to Run by Christopher McDougall Unbreakable: The Western States 100 The Oatmeal's recap of his first ultramarathon - http://theoatmeal.com/blog/ultramarathon My video of the Palo Duro 50 Mile race - http://bit.ly/paloduro50 Western States finishers video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZnZ4d-9lc0 Killian Jornet video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRl0PjiPnyM
19. Questions?