Respecting the distance
Why we shouldn't all be signing up for 100 mile races
In just over a week’s time, I will be attempting my first 100-mile race.
It has taken me seven years of ultra running to get to this point. Not because there is one correct route into 100-milers, or because everyone has to serve a certain amount of time before they are allowed to enter one, but because that is how long it has taken me to feel I have enough experience behind me.
I have been running consistently for about nine years, and I did my first ultra within a couple of years of that. So I did not exactly hang around. But I also did not go from parkrun to 100 miles in a matter of months. My first ultra was a very manageable one where I did loops around an aid station (the fantastic Big Bear Events). The route was pretty flat, easy running and I didn’t have to carry any gear or navigate.
I then built up gradually through longer races, hillier courses, tougher terrain, night running, FKTs, more looped events and multi-day races.
Over the last seven years I have probably done at least 30 ultras, either in races or in training, before even attempting 100 miles. I didn’t just decide to run 100 miles on a whim.
And while I want more women to feel inspired to go longer, I also think we need to be honest about the amount of experience required to “go longer”.
