Ultra-ultra running

Spotted on the BBC website: someone's just broken the record for 100 miles. The course was 402 laps of the stadium.

I think it takes a particular mindset to do this kind of thing. Link to the full story:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2345365.stm

Comments

  • Oh I dont know Nick. Spend my day running round in circles. Didnt realise there a record for it though.
  • WombleWomble ✭✭✭
    Went along to this in the afternoon after the Cabbage Patch sprint distance in the morning. It was just incredible to see the finish, what the beeb don't do is give the full story. There was another Russian Denis Jalybin who had been ahead for ages by a long way and looked really good but in the last half hour or so started to suffer. Oleg (the winner) managed to make up about a two lap deficit in the last six laps to win in the last lap. Considering the distance, I think that counts as a photo finish! Both Russians broke the old world record.
    Two other men finished the 100 mile course, Walter Hill in 16h34 (-ish) and I'm afraid to say after watching him run round for so long I can't remember the other chap's number but think it was William Sichel, possibly up to an hour earlier. My efforts were concentrated on Ramona Thevenet-Smith, the only woman of three to keep going and she had completed 92 miles when Walter finished. There was a 17 hour cut-off time for the 100 miles.
    You'll be glad to know they change direction every four hours to make it slightly more interesting.....
  • WombleWomble ✭✭✭
    PS In the photo on the beeb site, the people in the background are standing over the collapsed body of the second placed person, he really had given his all to miss winning. The winner did go over to him and sit next to him until he was able to get up and move about again. William Hill had put up £5000 if the record was broken, wouldn't you be a bit p***ed off if you'd led until the last lap? However, Denis did break the 150km track world record.
  • William Sichel was 3rd overall in 15 hours 15 minutes, first Brit.
    I would have entered this race but there was a 17 hour time limit and my pb for 100 miles is only 21 hours 45 minutes.
    Too bad.
    Incidentally the record they broke (11 hours 30 minutes) was set by Don Richie 25 years ago on the same track. He was in the race yesterday too but didn't finish.
  • TR - I stand by my earlier comment about you all being barking, but deep down I'm really impressed not just by the stamina but the mental perseverence too. Well done on your time of 'only!' 21:45
  • I think I would be even more P***ed off if the computer counter had stopped working 3/4 of the way round the course...:)
  • Hmmm....and people think I'M mad. I thought the Sri Chinmoy marathon was bad enough running around a 1.2 km path but this really takes the cake. I can run for hours and hours on a point to point course but not going around in circles!
  • MuttleyMuttley ✭✭✭
    Barking is definitely the word.

    Tim, what goes through your mind during 400 laps of a track? What keeps people going in this kind of event?
  • WombleWomble ✭✭✭
    291648, this was the first event of this type ie. long distance on a track where chip timing was used. However, there were still real people doing lap counting the old fashioned way, just in case... I even got to do the last few laps of Ramona's sheet. If you think running round in circles requires a certain temperament, what about concentrating on watching people running round in circles because they are relying on you for their time? In these events they always run an extra lap to be sure.
  • What does keep people going? Lots of things really, there's certainly plenty of time to talk to people and the time seems to go quite quickly. I always enjoy doing them. You always get a good bunch of people at these things. Anyone that wants to have a go, the Doncaster 24 hour race is the last weekend in May.
    See you there?
  • MuttleyMuttley ✭✭✭
    Hmm. I'll let you know ...
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