How does someone take the leap from cross-country to doing ultrarunning?
I didn’t start ultras until 1999-2000; I went off to school in Flagstaff, Arizona, which is a higher altitude. There was a bigger trail running and ultrarunning community, so people asked me if I did any ultras. I then did a couple 50ks, some 50 milers, then in 2000 did my first 100 mile in California. Ultrarunning goes hand-in-hand with trail running—it tends to be that type of trail surface. Q: I read the recap of your 150 mile race in 2007… A: The McNaughton 150 mile I just did in 2008, too; I won 2007 and came 3rd over-all this year. In 2007 I ran it in 35 hours and 22 minutes so I beat the 2nd place guy by 5 hours… I raced against Dave Goggins, an ex-Navy Seal and beat him last year, and he came back and beat me this year. It’s kind of a back-and-forth kind of thing. But that race is more about survival than anything… (laughs). Q: Ultrarunning must be all about mental toughness. A: Yeah, we’re considered sort of a “fringe” sport… Trail running is becoming more and more pop
