Photograph courtesy Crystal Clark
You’re in the Sahara Desert in Morocco. After sleeping in a tent shared with seven strangers, you put on your supply backpack and continue your 155-mile run through the sand dunes.
This may sound like a bad dream, but this is a feat that ultrarunners like Crystal Clark (above, in the Sahara) do with joy.
Ultrarunning is any run longer than a traditional 26.2-mile marathon. The most common distance races are 50K, 50 miles, 100K, and 100 miles. Other forms include timed races (usually 12 or 24 hours) or Backyard Ultras (last person standing).
Many start in this sport because they’re looking for “what’s next.” Clark, for example, was ready for a challenge after competing in multiple marathons. Following her first 50K at 29 years old, she was hooked, and has since completed 33 ultras. Now 52 years old, she is still looking for the next thing.
Brian Ambs, meanwhile, took the leap into ultrarunning before completing his first marathon—he signed up for a 50K before running his first Flying Pig Marathon in 2018. He currently has five 100-mile races under his belt and hopes to complete a 200-miler in the near future.
For Harvey Lewis, ultrarunning is more than just a race or a challenge; it’s his entire lifestyle. Since his first ultra in 1996, Lewis has set multiple records, won countless races, and learned how to run again after a broken neck. A self-proclaimed “extreme within the extreme,” he takes his training to the next level. A typical week for Lewis includes running to and from the gym to lift weights a few mornings a week; yoga, sauna, or seasonal swims; and around 15 miles of running a day.
Photograph courtesy Crystal Clark
Training is less intense for Clark and Ambs, although they still run 50 to 60 miles weekly. Both work with a coach to tailor their training; a shorter race calls for faster running, while a longer race calls for more mileage. Training routes depend on a race’s terrain.
“You have to really enjoy the training, because the race itself is short,” says Clark. (Relatively speaking, of course.) Because of the extreme distances and time involved, runners must be smart in how they fuel their bodies. Clark’s go-to carbs are ramen mixed with instant mashed potatoes. Lewis eats a vegan donut or watermelon and drinks coconut water or Coca-Cola when his body needs sugar. Ambs will eat just about anything he passes at an aid station.
When you’re in it, there’s nothing that extreme about fighting sleep and experiencing hallucinations while running (according to Ambs) or running 462.5 miles in 111 hours (a feat by Lewis). “It’s pretty normal to me and my friends,” says Ambs. Adds Lewis, “You have a lot of power over your outcome. I wasn’t always this way. It’s environment, not genetics.”
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