What is an Ultra?

What is an Ultra? They go by different names such as 100 milers, Ultra Race and even Ultra Marathon. The long (terrible joke) and short of it is simple. Any running race over 26.2 miles is technically an Ultra. That usually means 30 miles or more. So everyone who finishes a 30 mile, 50 mile, or 100 mile Ultra is an Ultra Runner. True, but there seems to be something so challenging about a nice round number like 100. That is why I have chosen to do one, because I always wanted to and because its slightly crazy.

An Ultra race can be on any surface but the most famous and the hardest are the trail runs. Imagine a one hundred mile race deep in the heart of the forest on single track. Rocks, tree roots and mud wait to slow you down or twist your ankle. Steep unforgiving hills make you slow down to a walk, streams soak your feet causing blisters. If you run 100 miles, at some point you will run in the dark, alone in the woods. You will be exhausted, your muscles screaming, your body begging for sleep. But you press on, until the finish. This is an Ultra and this is what I want to do.