Most people are familiar with “marathons” and “half-marathons.” In fact, many of us have run, walked (or limped) in one or more charity runs in our lifetimes.
But you might not have heard of the “ultra marathon.” The ultra marathon is by definition any marathon longer than 26.2 miles.
The “ultimate” challenge for most distance runners is the 100-mile ultra marathon. That’s right: participants are essentially running 100 miles without stopping.
An accomplished ultra marathon runner should be able to run an ultra marathon of 100 miles in about 20 hours.
I know a little bit more about the subject than most people because my nephew, Karl Hoagland, is the owner and publisher of “Ultrarunning Magazine,” a magazine devoted exclusively to ultra marathon running.
In addition, for the past 10 years, Karl has run in and finished one of the oldest and most difficult 100-mile ultra marathons in the United States — the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run.
So what is involved in running a 100-mile ultra marathon? As the name suggests, you basically run 100 miles without stopping.
