"... Perhaps the genius of ultra running is its supreme lack of utility. It makes no sense in a world of space ships and supercomputers to run vast distances on foot. There is no money in it and no fame, frequently not even the approval of peers. But as poets, apostles and philosophers have insisted from the dawn of time, there is more to life than logic and common sense. The ultra runners know this instinctively. And they know something else that is lost on the sedentary. They understand, perhaps better than anyone that the doors to the spirit will swing open with physical effort. In running such long and taxing distances they answer a call from the deepest realms of their being -- a call that asks who they are ..."
David Blaikie
Owner/Operator of www.ultramarathonworld.com
As I prepare for the JFK 50 Miler in two weeks, a venture (or shall I say "adventure") into uncharted territory, this quote continues to weigh on my mind. I would not so naievely beleive that after two 50K's that I am even remotely an ultrarunner. I guess the promise to find out "who I am" compels me to challenge this distance. Maybe I have already determined that I don't like who I am and the 50 miler will help me find another person. Will it be this 50 miler, another or maybe even a 100 miler? Is it not in the miles at all? When will I find that person?
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