This is why I hang out with runners

 Things heard from Acadiana runners in 2012 - 2013:

"Boy it's hot.  (August in Louisiana) It would really suck to loop Chicot (20 miles through the woods) 

right now.  Who's in?"

"Run a marathon?  26.2 miles on PAVEMENT!?!?  That sounds very painful.  I'd like to try that."

Fawn Hernandez and Stephanie Fournet before their first marathon -
Rock n Roll New Orleans 2013  

Eric Gravish in his first marathon -
Mercedes Benz Marathon 2013

"Run MORE THAN 26.2 miles?  Huh."

Christina Gravish running her first ultra!!  100k (62 miles) at
Cajun Coyote in December 2012.

    

Bobbi Parker and Denise Kidder at their first
50 miler in February 2012.

  

John Robideaux  at his first 50k (31 miles) with
 Tim Gill in November 2012.

Liz Wooster at her first 50 miler
with Christina Gravish  in February 2013. 

     

Jessica Amy running her first 100 miler
 in Feb. 2013.

The Schoolmaster at his first 50k.

Bobbi Parker before the start of her first 100 miler,
with Brad Delcambre and me.

Run from Baton Rouge to New Orleans on the levee?  Sounds horrible. 

All three Lafayette Rouge Orleans 6 Person Relay Teams!
Now that is a high concentration of awesomeness right there!

          

          

More Rouge Orleans pix - from relay exchanges to the scene inside the mothership.

What do all of these pictures have in common?  Happy people.  Why are they smiling?  Because they know a secret.  They know how amazing it feels to achieve something that no one else can take credit for.  They know that all of their hard work and effort has led to the creation of some amazing memories.  Because they risked failure, and put themselves out there, they have gained a quiet confidence and a deeper understanding of themselves and their capabilities.  Everyone in these pictures has learned that their acceptance of some level of discomfort and struggle in their lives continues to make them better people.

How many people get to experience something like this:

Full Moon Trail Race, August 2012, Fountainebleu State Park
5 miles through the woods at night.  Good times.

Julie Carlson enjoying her 1st place age group
finish at Cherokee Chase.

Tara Breaux not enjoying herself at
Cherokee Chase.

                                     

Bobbi Parker and Denise Kidder at the Bandera 50k in January 2012.

And how often do you have people cheering for YOU??  

  

Karin waiting for Steph and Fawn at the Rock n  Roll Marathon.

Here's hoping that YOU are in one of these pictures soon!!

Bringing them over to the darkside!!

The coolest thing is starting to happen!  More and more otherwise sane folks are becoming ultrarunners!  Here are some local folks who have moved into ultra distance races:

50k Finishers (31 miles)

Tim Sharlow

Jess Russo 

Tyla Hudspeth

50 Milers

Jessica Amy, Jara Ahrabi, Bobbi Parker, Denise Kidder

100 K'ers (62 miles)

Fred Arsement (left)

Nathan Shull

Jim Winter

100 Milers

Smitty Smith, Me, Keith Manuel, Brad Delcambre

Donald Cleveland (left), Lane Gremillion (right)

Really Bad Ass 100 miler

John Powers (right) - John has run 20 - 100 milers,
and has more on the schedule for this season.
HE is a true BADASS!!

These are all fairly normal people.  Chances are, if you are from the Acadiana area, you have some degree of connection to one or more of them.  They started out as beginners sucking wind for their first one mile run, just like everyone else.  The difference with them is that they didn't stop there.  All of these ultra runners have full time jobs and families.  They all have the same responsibilities that you do, and the same 24 hours in each day in which to get things done.  The only difference is the way they budget their time, and the dedication that they have for the sport.

I had to laugh recently at the study from the Mayo Clinic that said that ultrarunning can be detrimental to your health. (Excessive Endurance Training Can Be Too Much of a Good Thing, Research Suggests)  While I respect the research put into the article (even though there seemed to be quite a few statements like: "excessive exercise can lead to rhythm abnormalities" and "excessive sustained exercise may also be associated with coronary artery calcification"), what the Mayo Clinic fails to understand is what motivates many endurance athletes.  

I don't do ultramarathons to become healthy.  I am already healthy.  All of the people in the pictures above were healthy before they began running ultras.  As a friend (Jessica Amy)  wisely said about her reason for running ultras, it's not about adding quantity to your life, its about adding quality to your life. (Read Jessica's open letter to the Mayo Clinic in response to this study, here). 

The point of this post is not to tell you that everyone should run ultras.  This sport is not for everyone.  Just like how I don't do triathlons because I swim like a brick, not everyone is suited to running for up to 30 hours at a time.  The point of this post is to show you that ultras are not filled with super-human people doing impossible things.  Ultras are filled with normal people pushing their limits and achieving some amazing things.  Running ultras parallels life in many ways.  A 50 or 100 mile race is not about crossing the finish line, it is about all of the hard work and dedication that goes into the effort to get there, the relationships that are formed, and the experience that is gained from the moment you decide to go beyond the marathon distance.  It's not about the destination, its about the journey.

Edie