How difficult is it to run an ultra marathon?

No matter what you do in life, it’s often helpful to seek the opinion of others. If you are an expert in your field, you can trust what you do, but if you’re new to something, expert advice is helpful, as are the thoughts of people like you.

You should listen to experienced runners, qualified medical professionals, and highly regarded nutritionists, but seeing how ordinary people develop skills and knowing their problems can help you improve faster while minimising problems that invariably occur when covering distances larger than marathons.

Reddit is a fascinating information source and a Petri dish of human life and thoughts. Searching for “Reddit: ultra-race problems” brings back some exciting threads and opinions, including “Realistically how difficult is it to run an ultra marathon?” Today, I will distil some of the ideas and thoughts from Reddit to give a broad perspective on the subject and see what comes out.

It’s a question I’ve asked myself many times. We’re now in July, which means the Coast-To-Coast Race is not far away, and preparations are underway. Technically, it’s not an ‘ultra-marathon’, as you cycle for around eighty miles, but covering 21 miles on foot is still daunting when you put everything together in one day.

Returning to the original post, this line brings a lot to the table:

I’ve read about people running 100km and other insane distances. Are they freak athletes, or can anyone learn to run such distances with enough training?

The use of the word insane and “freak athletes” reminds us that ultra-race runners are outside of the norm. They require specialist training and a focused mindset or could do you a lot of damage.

Anyone can do it, but not everyone should

One of the best things about running is that anyone can do it. Yes, many fancy equipment and accessories help, but ultimately, you can just get out of your house and run. When the time and distance go up, then the planning and equipment need to, too.

Running will always be an excellent choice for physical and mental well-being, but the responses to the question outline some of the critical areas.

It’s important to note that a massive issue or obstacle for one person will not be a problem for some people. So, looking at a wide range of responses from other people gives you a better idea of the broader issues people face.

It might be in your training or while considering this hobby, but you haven’t regarded specific issues that could eventually make or break you.

Some of the shared opinions include:

• Ultrarunning is much more mental.
• It is challenging, but almost anyone can do it.
• Most ultras involve considerable walking and rarely have hours of non-stop running.
• The tricky thing is making time in your life for the necessary weekly volume of running.
• I firmly believe anyone can complete an ultra if they consistently follow a training plan and build up to it over several training seasons.
• Dedication to extended training is difficult. But that’s kind of the point. When you get used to challenges and learn how to deal with them in training, you stand in better stead for the final race.
• Take any potential issue you could have over a 3-4 hour race, then multiply for ultras. The sooner you can fix problems during an ultra, the higher your likelihood of finishing. Keeping a positive outlook helps, and remember that you have done this kind of thing before in training.

I really like the following line, and it addresses the tone of the initial post, which questioned the sanity of people who enjoy this activity:

I don’t think ultra runners (outside of the elites) are freak athletes by any means. Just people who are comfortable being uncomfortable for long periods of time.

You will be uncomfortable, but you can minimise the discomfort

The notion of people who are comfortable being uncomfortable is a great way to think about ultra running. Some people take the challenge because it’s there, because they can, and because it’s a significant achievement if you make it to the end.

Doing something like an ultra or a coast-to-coast event can provide an excellent opportunity to support a charity. This has the added benefit of providing a good source of motivation.

However, it also acknowledges that this is something out of the ordinary, that the uncomfortable nature is a large part of it, and that it makes completing an event such an outstanding achievement.

At Ready Sweat Go, we have many reasons to support people like you. However, this notion of helping you minimise the uncomfortable aspect appeals to us.

Whether your biggest barrier is physical, mental, or something else, we’re here to help. We want to hear how we can help you achieve more…and we’d love to hear about your goals and achievements.

Resources:

Reddit - Difficult to run an ultra marathon: https://www.reddit.com/r/ultrarunning/comments/x7d6py/realistically_how_difficult_is_it_to_run_a_ultra/