My Ultrarunning philosophy. Who is suited to ultrarunning? More people than you think!

I think a lot of normal people like me, who want to do ultra marathons, dont have time for clubs or a strict training schedule.  I even would say if I am part of the majority, we dont even have any natural talent toward ultra running.

The sad truth is, I am never going to be a fast 100 meter sprinter or a 2:30 marathon runner.  I dont have the right genetics to be a world class runner.  The physical boundaries that block me, the sheer fact that my heart, lungs and muscles are not capable of achieving such amazing speed and endurance should tell me that I will never be any good at running.

But luckily, me and many many average and below average people like me have a huge asset that is not bound by genetics, vo2 max, lactate thresholds or any other scientific sporting jargon.

Your mind!

I dont want to sound like a religious crazy but its true.  I might not be physically able to run a marathon in olympic time, but I can damn well run very slowly for a long long time.

No doubt this does use your body a bit, and fatigue does definitely set in.  But as long as I stay within my physical parameters, the only thing that will limit my performance is my mind.


I have a theory about why I tend to place well in ultra events.  It seems the longer and the more boring the race, the less appealing it is, and the higher the pure boredom factor, the better I perform.  The truth is that anyone fast enough to run a quick marathon will compete in a marathon.  Anyone who can run a quick 10k will do 10ks.

With very little training, last year I ran to 32nd in a 12 hour ultramarathon.  Had I managed an extra mile I would have jumped to mid 20s!   I did this simply with a strong head and a strong attitude.  I told myself that I was going to go forwards for the whole 12 hours, even if it was a walk.  Relentless forward progress.

Sure, there were the genetically gifted runners who managed 70+ miles in the 12 hours, but I was well prepared for that.

Placing around me in the 20s and 30s were all people similar to me.  Middle aged men and women who werent athletes.  They were just ordinary people, most not even part of clubs.

This just goes to prove my point that ordinary people CAN be above average athletes, where the most important part of your training is not physical but mental, and those genetically inferior people who have a strong will can be successful in sport!

So for all you average and below average runners out there, with no natural talent, but heaps of mental strength, ultrarunning is for you!