Written by Logan Beaulieu

I was born in Williams Lake and grew up in Prince George and Penticton, B.C. I also spent several years in Victoria, B.C. I ran as a youth shorter-distance races from one to five kilometres in length. I took pride in the fact that I came in fifth in the B.C. cross-country championships when I was in Grade 5. As I got older, I ran longer-distance races from 10 kilometres to half-marathons in distance. I did not run my first ultra-marathon until 1992 at 20 years of age.

In 1992, there was not near the interest in ultra-marathon running as there is today. To this day, I have completed 36 ultra-marathons. I feel that experience plays a very important role in this sport. Ultra-runners continue racing well as they age, and as they run additional events, they learn more about the sport and themselves. The soft trail surface and varied terrain is the reason runners can continue to run for many years. Ultra-runners must be very physically and mentally strong. It not only takes lots of physical strength and conditioning, but guts, grit and pure will. It is said that running an ultra-marathon race is 90 per cent mental. Any distance runner will tell you that this is true.

My father, Moe the Eagle, is an experienced and accomplished ultra-marathon runner and former race director he paved the path for me … or shall I say… groomed the trail. He was the key to my recovery.

Ultra-marathon running is also known as the “lunatic fringe.” These folks run races of any distance further than your traditional marathon. It has become the next challenge for those wishing to push their limits beyond the marathon. Ultra-marathon running is like running on the razor’s edge anything can happen and often does happen. Ultra-marathons often take place at high
elevation, with varying weather conditions and extremely rugged terrain. They can take place on trails from well-groomed to very technical. Weather conditions can vary from either super hot, even humid to well below zero, and causing additional ultra-runners grief can be torrential rain. This means racing in mud.

Many factors can prevent a runner from crossing the finish line. It can be the weather, improper electrolyte or food intake, falls and/or sprains. If the race is held at elevation and a person is not acclimatized, they could get mountain sickness. The technical term for this is called pulmonary edema.

It is the build-up of fluid in the spaces outside the blood vessels of the lungs. Another danger is a drop in a runner’s core temperature, resulting in hypothermia, which is quite common and could be a very dangerous condition.

When racing in the elements, sufficient clothing must be worn even if a light jacket is tied around the waist, a hat and gloves must also be carried. Heat exhaustion is another concern for ultra-runners when competing and occurs when the body over-heats from over-pacing for the conditions, or when an insufficient amount of fluid or electrolytes are ingested. Heat stroke can cause serious illness or even death, so running in the heat is very serious business and extreme caution must be taken. Sleep deprivation can also be a major factor for races of 100 miles or more, resulting in impaired judgment and the possibility of falling into creeks, rivers, down embankments, etc. Myself, like all or most ultra-runners, have experience all of the above.

I ran the McNaughton Park 150-mile run in Pekin, Illinois this past April.

This race was extremely challenging. Throw in 24,000 feet of climb over the 150-mile distance. Add heavy rains on the course the previous week making it a mud bath with slipping and falling on the course dozens of times, especially at night as you become exhausted. Running at night with your flashlight as you become sleep-deprived, you commence to hallucinate. Trees, logs, stumps and rocks become any object picture you place in your mind, such as alligators, bears or wolves. Approximately 20 per cent of the field will finish this event, so you have to guard yourself right from the bell from thinking you won’t be able to do it.

My advice to anybody just starting out in the sport of ultra-running, or in any new sport in general, is find a peer group with similar interests. Try not to get discouraged along the way and don’t be hard on yourself. Start easy and work your way up from there.

In the sport and life of an ultra-marathon runner, there is no real finish line.

For more information on ultrarunning I suggest the book titled, “Running in the Zone” an excellent source for older runners as well as runners of all ages. The book is edited by Steve King and Dan Cumming. Moe the Eagle has written a chapter in this book.