Going the distance — and then some (Chronicle Herald)

Journalist Amy Wang wrote a nice story about ultrarunning for Canada's Chronicle Herald, showing that ultra finishes are up 20% in the last year. There are some good quotes worth reading (read it here):

Compared with the emotions involved in running a traditional marathon, Thomas Wong says, in which one feels a predictable cycle of pain and elation over the course of a few hours, a zen-like "nothing" overtakes his mind during an ultra. "Hope," he says, is the only "driving force."

"It’s kind of like a long walk in the woods," says Bodington, "except you’re running and you’re focused and you’re with a group of like-minded people"—and many are put on by volunteers. There are minimal crowds and no schwag bags. More often than not, trees outnumber bystanders. For its devotees, the ultra is a refreshing return to the basics.

Good stuff!

- SD