A couple hundred miles, but who is actually count?
The distance between Portland and Eugene is about 100 kilometers. Imagine running it in 24 hours. Happy Nathan Blair would take on this challenge, but might need some recovery time first.He 's fresh off his first marathon, the Hundred in the Hood 100 Mile endurance run. His road stretches from Oregon Timothy Lake to Frog Lake Breitenbush Lake and back. It is total elevation climb 12,448 feet. Just a week after completing the course in 27 hours and 58 seconds, and Blair went for another run, despite painful blisters persistent pink feet. "I could only run three miles," he says. "My body was uncoordinated, disconnected. I felt like a pre-teen. "Shaky legs, instead of the potential health risks of long distance running shows are virtually built into the ultra community. It seems as if it weakens the child awkwardly ultrarunners is standard for supplementing the distances of 30, 50 and 100 mile race. Men's Health contributor and author of Born to Run Christopher McDougall described the sport as "the version of the suitability of drunk driving." "You could get away with it for a while, you might even have a good time, but catastrophe [is] waiting just around the corner, "McDougall says.At least, these athletes are subject to dehydration, nausea, vomiting, blisters, ankle sprains, abrasions from the fall, and altitude sickness during the races. When pushed further toward the goal that put his heart into risk.In 2009, Men's Health reported that the combination of a muscular injury and inflammation during prolonged intense activity significantly increases the risk of heart began training attack.Before for long-term, Blair completed a complete physical test and stress to ensure the strength of his heart. Hope the blisters are your primary concern only, which is already planning its next ultra run with wider shoes this time. "I have the error," he says calmly with a smile. "And I have a bigger purpose." Grounds Blair to run sports than achieve personal goals, but has a lot of people riding in your miles. Since the first marathon in 2007, has seen 243 miles to raise $ 2,537 for EDURelief, a development organization non-profit supporting education in rural Mongolia. Despite the existence of schools, EDURelief founders realized that lacked many of the materials they need, and their remote locations to prevent access to radio and television programs, so that the organization recently began collecting funds to build new libraries in these remote areas. It only takes $ 2,000 to sponsor a new library, which Blair believes it is critical to these communities. "Books are reaching a wider audience than just their own students. Beyond the school to the families and friends. "International awareness Blair could be the result of different formation. Growing up with the missionaries as parents, who lived where there was work to be done in the church. He was born in Uganda and then moved to Hawaii. Blair spent his high school years in Kazakhstan, Russia learning his graduating class of eight classmates international students.Blair s just a sports team made up completely, so that athletics was reduced academic background. It was not until he began his second major at the University of Oregon, where he met with Professor Craig Thornley, Blair discovered his passion for the ultramarathon. Thornley is in the center of the ultramarathon niche in Eugene. Has been running ultras since 1997 and was co-founder of Oregon Where's Waldo 100 km event. It is difficult to determine what is most inspiring about him: that is out of eleven of 100 milers in the last 12 years, or simply that he is so modest about it. He says his ultra count is around 75, but not very secure. "I love to run, if it is a mile or 10 km or 10 miles or 50 thousand miles or 100" he says. "I refer to myself as a runner first and a second ultra marathon." No matter how far they run, Blair Thornley and train every week with his group of runners. In just 26 years, Blair is the youngest member of the crew, age almost childlike compared with the average ultra marathon. Cindy Billhartz Gregorian of the St. Louis Post profiles ultrarunners in his article in 2007 to report that the typical participant is 45 years old. Quote UltraRunning veteran Jan Ryerse, who is running twelve races of 100 miles in his 61 years. He says, "the older runners have an advantage over younger ones because they are more patient, which is crucial for the stimulation." Blair sits quietly in a cafeteria wall with his hands clasped over his stomach. Your latté is likely to freeze as it is neglecting to field questions. It certainly seems patient. And it seems to fit the rest of the Gregorian profile of an ultra runner. She says they are often well educated. Blair received his first degree in Russian studies and is now back in the program graduate product design. Even tried journalism for a while, that's what he says makes a good researcher.Gregorian states the obvious when ultrarunners characterized as highly motivated, a quality that allows Blair to compensate for their youth and newcomers to the sport. Find inspiration for his team in place, whose members are at least a decade older than him. "When someone is 20 years older than you and kick ass, that's awesome," exclaims while holding onto the table. "These guys are enthusiastic about running. They have helped me and showed me the ropes. I, on the road, get to the point where it can do the same for others. It's about sharing what you love. "But give the run to the other culture does not fit the typical model of ultramarathon, or in any case at least traditional. Some of the original ultrarunners, the Tarahumara tribe 400 years of the Copper Canyon in Mexico, they prefer to live in isolation, without any show of their exploits in progress. Even go so far as to call themselves runners. For these inhabitants of the cliff, walking fast is not sport, it is simply a part of your day. In Born to Run, McDougall reports that the tribe faces in running races, and each competitor often complete more than 300 kilometers in 2-day periods. He even quotes the Mexican historian Francisco Almada, who says that a Tarahumara once ran 435 miles in a stretch.Despite epic achievement, the tribe continues to be extremely private, almost mythical, hidden deep in the cliffs. "The Tarahumara are so mysterious, in fact, may even go by a nickname," says McDougall. "His real name is rarámuri-the people running." These people who run do not undergo intensive training, as Blair and Thornley, and his lifestyle is not exactly original tapes include resistance testing. Build endurance trekking up and down steep trails in the canyons were formed by the feet of his own ancestors. While most runners engulf water the day before, the Tarahumara hydrate with different liquids lechuguila his homemade tequila. McDougal calls for preparation of the Tarahumara to run 'Carnival approach. "They do not train, rebuild between workouts, or even eating too much protein at all. Instead of water and Gatorade, choose the tequila and corn beer. Race day, "just walk to the starting line, laughing and joking ... then as hell the next forty-eight hours. "Two days of testing is a cake for the Tarahumara, a stretch of ultrarunners today and apparently foreign to the 5 km corridor. For subjects in the implementation of the documentary film of the Sahara, was just the beginning. In November 2006, Charlie Engle, Ray Zahab and Kevin Lin began to run in St. Louis, Senegal, with a camera crew on his heels. They were heading east to the end of the continent.Physically speaking, Engle and Lin were more prepared for the race Zahab. Engle has been running for 30 years, Lin has just won the first race of 150 miles across the Atacama Desert in Chile. By contrast, Zahab operating philosophy is more aligned with that of the Tarahumara, just wing. A chronic smoker and beer drinker, until 2004, Zahab believes that implementation capacities exist only in the brain in the body. "Training 30 to 40 miles a day does not really help you prepare for that kind of mileage," he recalls in the documentary blog. "When we arrived, hoped and prayed our body is held." And their bodies. One hundred and eleven days, six countries and 4,300 miles later, the three ran down the sands of Egypt to feel the calm waters of the Red Sea between their toes. The race is not only the personal travel, sports, but also a triumph in solving the water crisis in Africa. Running the Sahara film directors founded H20 Africa clean water initiative as a complement to the film. The campaign is raising money to build drinking wells along 'path.It' s runners this route runners runners Sahara, the Tarahumara Blair, Thornley, and we can all find ultrarunners common. No matter the location, destination, distance traveled, the preparation of training, advertising or acquired during the race, it seems that both find your zen ultrarunners when their minds to conquer their bodies, pushing further along the travel, regardless of their environment that may be hidden in.Safely in the execution environment that promotes Eugene, Blair is softer than most ultrarunners. His sport has yet to take him to a barren desert or hunting myths in the cliffs. For now runs in Amazon Park and speed work practices in the South Eugene High School. In between workouts, which is designing furniture for the title of product design. "I believe in execution and design complement each other," he says. "If you have a deadline for a project, similar to a race. It is the accumulation, through it, and finish strong. "Blair has shown himself that he can finish the 100 miles strong. Entered into it without expectations, which he believes helped him to overcome the distance, a huge percentage of what he says is all a psychological challenge. With a love of running and the mental strength to keep one foot before the other, Blair will continue his path, without worrying about technical details on the road. "Looking to the future is easy to get stressed about details. I'm from Hawaii, so do not worry. "# # # #
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