Ultra Running Exposed

William Sichel currently holds the World Record for distance covered during a 6 day ultra running road race. In April 2009, William covered an astonishing 466.65 miles (751.00 kilometres) during the 6 day event in Athens to claim his place in the record books.

Ultra running is an extreme sport that is growing in popularity at a phenomenal rate. This dramatic rise in interest has led the Commonwealth Games Federation to endorse the first ever Commonwealth 24 Hour Championships which were held in Keswick, Cumbria in September 2009. Entries were open to runners from all 72 member nations. It won’t be long before ultra distance running is considered as an Olympic event. In this article William takes us inside the toughest of endurance sports.

Up until the 1970’s marathon running was the preserve of the ‘mad men’ of athletics – nowadays 1.2 million people world wide compete in marathons every year, a statistic which would have been thought impossible 30 years ago.

The current frontiers in endurance running lie in distances ‘beyond the marathon’, in the fascinating world of ultra distance running or ultra running as it is sometimes known.

Few people realise that ultra distance running events are some of the oldest in organized athletics. They are known to pre-date a number of more current events with which we are familiar by more than a hundred years. For example, the first recognised 24 hour race took place in 1807 near Newmarket in England. The popularity of the indoor 6 day races in the late 1800’s was huge and the leading runners were wealthier than today’s Premiership footballers.

So why would someone move up and attempt an event beyond the marathon for no financial reward?  

Some want another challenge having become bored with repeated marathons. Others want to test themselves either against the clock or against testing terrain over unimaginable distances. Still more simply enjoy the feeling of pushing themselves to the absolute limit and then a bit more, but in a relatively safe environment including race support. Exploring the limits of human performance can almost be addictive and hugely rewarding at a personal level.

In my own case, I kept running my marathons in about 2 hours 38 minutes but I wasn’t exhausted at the finish, even though I was running as fast as I possibly could! I mentioned this to a running shoe shop owner. His eyes lit up and he said those immortal words “you might be an ultra runner”. I won the Scottish 100km (62 miles) Championships the following year, at my first attempt! Indeed, I was an ultra runner.

The physical challenge in ultras is immense and it is not uncommon for at least a third of the field to drop out of races. The countless hours of running and walking can play havoc with the stomach and bowels. Musculo-skeletal problems can emerge from the repeated pounding and foot problems stop many a determined runner dead in their tracks.

The training programme of course needs to address these issues and I’ll go into some detail on this in future articles.

It is a hard, hard sport but the personal rewards can be immense when seemingly impossible targets are achieved.

Perhaps even greater than the physical strain is the psychological one. Ultra athletes need to be mentally fit as well as physically fit. We get asked a lot of questions about ourselves during those long hours on our feet and we need to have all the answers. Otherwise it may be another DNF (Did Not Finish) after our name.

In reality races tend to be a series of ‘highs’ and ‘lows’ and it’s not unusual to finish even very long races on a high. Although the highs can be very high and for some approaching almost a spiritual dimension, the lows can be desperately low, with just putting one foot in front of the other taking all one’s energy.  

The mastering of race strategy is another key skill required for success. Confidence in ones race plan and having the experience to change it if necessary, means that often it is more experienced athletes i.e. older ones, who triumph over the ‘young bloods’. Patience can be the key in these long drawn out affairs and it’s often said that it’s one runner’s strategy battling against another’s.

The importance of diet and nutrition is also critical. Working at the extremes of human performance the runner often finds themselves operating as an ‘experiment of one’. A successful nutritional plan can be as much art as science.

Around my appearance in Keswick I used a range of Myprotein supplements to fuel my 13000kcal (about 4 times my daily requirements if I was a bodybuilder) energy expenditure during the one day event.  

Coconut Oil and Tri Carb were used prior to the event. Whilst on the morning of the race Fructose and Total MRP were consumed.

During the race Electrolytes, Tri Carb, Dextrose, Maltodextrin, Caffeine and Total MRP all had a crucial role to play.

Afterwards, a massive re-fuelling and recovery plan was put in place so immediately post-race Recovery XS was top of the list.

So was my planning and preparation successful?  

Definitely, yes! I ran my best 24 hour distance for over 2 years, completing 133 miles of the Keswick course, demonstrating my versatility over a range of ultra events. This performance helped Scotland to the bronze medals in this first-ever Commonwealth Ultra Distance Championships.

The weather was excellent throughout the event which was a big help and I managed to keep moving for the whole 24 hours (except for toilet stops) hence making the most of the time available. Without proper training and conditioning I would have suffered severe muscle pain, stomach distress, bad feet and mental confusion. As it was I suffered none of these and finished running steadily, obviously very tired but elated as well.

Emotions seem to spill over, only once the final gun has been fired reminding me of the enormous mental control I have been exerting during the long hours of the race.

Furthermore, I always feel cold very quickly once it is all over and a huge ‘puffa’ jacket was needed to keep me warm as I cooled down and walked back to the crew area.

The first Commonwealth Mountain & Ultra Distance Championships took place from September 17th – 20th 2009 in Keswick in the northern Lake District, England.

William Sichel
www.williamsichel.co.uk

 

William started ultra running in 1994. Unusually he won his debuts in the 100km, 24 Hour and 6 day events.  

He has won international events in the UK (five times), Netherlands, USA (twice), Switzerland, Monaco (twice), Greece and Germany and is currently unbeaten in all events longer than 48 hours. William currently holds six ultra distance records at World, British and Scottish level including the World  Age Group Record of 466.65 miles in 6 days on a road circuit.

On 15th to 31st of March 2010 William will be competing in the 1,000 mile World Cup in Athens which involves running 1,000 miles in under 16 days. The last time this was attempted in 2003 not a single person completed the course. William will be running for five hours at a time with 40 minute breaks to eat and sleep. Every 24 hours he will take a larger break of 2-3 hours to get a decent chunk of sleep. There is a daily 50 mile minimum that competitors have to complete or they will be disqualified. Keep your eye on www.myprotein.co.uk and www.williamsichel.co.uk for news and race updates.
 

Return to the homepage.

View the Original article