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Table of Contents

Foreword by Bernd Heinrich
xii

Introduction by Don Allison
xvi

Chapter 1: Training and Racing Advice

How Do You Do It? 3

A Beginning Ultrarunner‘s Guide to Running 50 Miles 6

Deriving Benefits from Mileage and Long Training Runs 15

Hill Running 22

Running Style 25

Listening to the Heart 28

Reaching a Peak 33

Tapering for Performance 36

Hydration for Warm Weather Ultrarunning 43

Training for the Western States 100 Mile 46

The Advantage of a Run/Walk Strategy for 24 Hour Runs 59

How to Walk While Running 63

The Lure of the Trail 67

Running on the Rocks 73

Staying the Course 79

Altitude Training for Improved Performance 85

The Feeling‘s Right, Gonna Run All Night 91

On the Edge: Avoiding Overtraining and Burnout 93

A Training Strategy for Back-of-the-Pack Ultrarunners 97

Pacing in a 100 Mile: A Nice Way to Spend the Night 99

Crewing: Ten Commandments For Those Who Sit and Wait 104

Cross Training and Fitness Equipment 106

Why Would Anyone Direct an Ultra? 115

Chapter 2: Physiology

The Ultrarunner‘s Body 123

Eat, Drink, and Run Ultras:
Basic Dietary Guides for Ultrarunners 125

Electrolytes and Fluid Replacement 130

Vitamins and Supplements: Do You Need Them? 135

Endocrine System Depletion 142

Immediate and Delayed Effects of a 100-Mile Trail Run 148

Ultrarunning and the Heart 154

Getting the Heart Back on Track 157

The Ultrarunner‘s Knee 160

Hamstring Injuries 165

A Different Approach 168

An Unexpected and Scary Case of Kidney Failure 180

Pulmonary Emboli: A Personal Struggle 185

Ozone and the Ultrarunner:
It‘s a Serious Health Concern 188

Bloody Urine in Runners 191

The Agony of Da-Feet 194

Components of Blister Prevention 200

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep 204

Chapter 3: Making History 213

The History of a Wonderful Event:
The 24-Hour Race 215

Pheidippides—Marathoner or Ultramarathoner? 226

Captain Barclay: Nineteenth
Century Super Ultrarunner 229

The Pedestriennes—Female Ultra
Stars of the 19th Century 235

The Accuracy of Our Forebears 240

One Mile Per Hour Isn‘t So Difficult—Or Is It? 245

Across America on Foot:
The Bunion Derbies of 1928 and 1929 251

Britain‘s End-to-End:
The Best of Races, The Worst of Races 261

Tipton, England, October, 1975:
The Greatest 100-Mile Ever? 268

Chapter 4: Races and Places

Classic Races 275

The Classics 277

The Comrades Marathon: South Africa‘s Gem 280

”She‘s The One:“ Georgia Gustafson‘s Accidental
Brush with Fame at the Comrades Marathon 283

How the Western States Was Won 287

The Spartathlon: A Greek History Lesson 295

Five Days in the Himalayas:
It Doesn‘t Get Any Better 298

An Arctic Adventure
(Or What I Did on My Winter Vacation) 303

Badwater: Inside the World‘s Longest,
Hottest, Baddest Endurance Race 313

Across the Desert: The
Marathon Des Sables 323

New York City: The Ultimate in Urban Ultrarunning 329

A Summer to Remember:
2,144 Miles on the Appalachian Trail 332

Run Across Vietnam: A Day of Heaven and Hell 338

America‘s 100-Mile Trail Races 344

Chapter 5: Ultra People

Bios and Interviews 361

Arthur Newton: A Pioneer of Ultrarunning 363

Ted Corbitt: An Ultrarunning Pioneer 372

Ann Trason: Ultra Wonder Woman 381

Yiannis Kouros: Modern Day Greek Mythology 385

Masters of the 48-Hour Race:
Sue Ellen Trapp and Sue Olsen 393

20 Years at Western States,
20 Questions for Tim Twietmeyer 398

Helen Klein: Grand Slam Grandma 407

The Running Tribe: Tarahumara Indians 415

Bernd Heinrich: The Animal Kingdom,
Evolution, and Running 423

Twenty-Something—The Younger Ultrarunner 429

Chapter 6: Philosophy

The Philosophy of Ultrarunning: Why Do We Do It? 437

Rules for Being an Ultrarunner 439

Knowing When (and When Not) to Quit 441

Living With Humiliation 447

Running a 100-Mile?
Leave Your Aggression at Home 450

Cheaters 452

The Back of the Packer: It‘s a Different Event 454

Psychological and Emotional Responses to Injury 457

24 Hours—A Run 461

Reflections on Ultrarunning and Religion 464

Ultrarunning‘s Place in the Sun 469

Chapter 7: Humor

What‘s So Funny About Ultrarunning? 473

Living With an Ultrarunner: It‘s Not Always So Easy 475

Unlocking the Secrets of The
World‘s Greatest Ultrarunner (TWGU) 479

From the South: The Bigger They Are . . . 481

So You Think You Are Slow? 484

A Handy Organic Training Aid for Winter Running 486

Ultrarunning Terms and Names 489

Waramaug: The Movie 492

Who Wants to be an Ultrarunner? 495

You Might Be An Ultrarunner If... 500

Appendix–Resources

Appendix I
Gear and Equipment for Ultrarunning 505

Appendix II
Suppliers Directory 511

Appendix III
A Historical Timeline of Ultrarunning 513

Appendix IV
Additional Information on Ultrarunning 516

Appendix V
Major Ultra Races 517

Appendix VI
Author Biographies 527

Appendix VII
Bibliography 533

Index 535