The ultra challenge: no, you don't need to be insane or even a gifted athlete to run an ultramarathon. Here, the who, what, why and how of long-distance running

NANCY WARREN, A 38-YEAR-OLD HEALTH EDUCATION ASSISTANT and mother of a teenage daughter, insists she's "an ordinary Jane." Yet in 2002, over the course of five months, Warren went from running 12-minute miles in 5ks to doing a 50k (31 miles) ultramarathon. "When I started, I didn't consider myself a 'real' runner," says Warren, who lives in Wilton, CA, and who had never run more than a half-marathon. She has since run 16 ultramarathons, including two 100-milers--evidence that completing an ultramarathon, a race that's 50k or longer, is within reach of any runner who has enough drive and determination.

about 10,000 to 15,000 people run ultras every year, according to UltraRunning Magazine. Even though they make up only 20 percent to 25 percent of runners at most ultras, women seem particularly well-suited for running these long distances. (See sidebar at right for theories about why women fare so well.) "Older" runners (30 and older) also are good ultra candidates: It's an athletic endeavor you can take up in your 30s or 40s and really succeed at--even beating runners 10 or 20 years your junior. At last year's prestigious Western States 100, eight of the top 10 finishers were over 30, and three of the top five were over 40. Some say this is because more seasoned runners have the patience many young guns lack, and that they understand the power of pacing themselves.

Still, given that ultras are, to say the least, no cake-walk, what's the allure of slogging out so many miles? Some competitors are drawn to ultras for the scenery--most of these races are run on trails. "It's so much more beautiful out there in the hills," says Emma Davies, 40, a top ultramarathoner who competed in the Western States 100 in June. "It's a different way of running. You're out there with nature instead of hard concrete." What's more, Davies and others maintain that, despite the longer distances, ultras may actually be easier on the body than running a road marathon. "I would rather run a 50k on a trail than a marathon on the road," she says.

For Seattle ultrarunner Krissy Moehl Sybrowsky, part of the appeal is being able to cover long stretches of trail in one day instead of taking a few days while carrying a heavy pack. There's also the way these races make her feel: "With trees zipping by me and mud flying as I run, it takes me back to being a kid," says Sybrowsky, 26, who has won several 50k and 50-mile races. "It's rejuvenating." As for Warren, she says it's a combination of the scenery, camaraderie with other racers and taking on a challenge she's never sure she'll be able to meet that keeps her going the distance.

For longtime runners who have competed in and finished several marathons, an ultra is an enticing challenge--and once you've broken the magical marathon barrier of four hours, perhaps you start to wonder how far you can go instead of how fast.

THE DOWN AND DIRTY OF ULTRAS

despite the sheer delight ultrarunners may have for their sport, none of them says it's remotely easy. "It was a lot longer and harder than I thought it would be," Warren says of her first ultra. Even Ann Trason, the pre-eminent woman ultramarathoner who has been the top woman at the Western States 100 an astounding 14 times, says her first ultra was "a really horrible experience." She ran the American River 50 (miles) in 1984, when it reached 109 degrees on the Sacramento, CA, course. "I guess you could say I ran the whole thing, but walkers passed me on the course; people crawled past me."

Trason's experience illuminates an important ultra-fact: Despite being called ultrarunning, this sport involves a fair amount of walking. For some ultrarunners, like Sybrowsky, it depends on the terrain. On flatter courses, she barely walks, but in a recent race that had 4,000 feet of elevation gain, Sybrowsky walked the early hills to conserve energy.

Taking it a step further, Idaho-based triathlon and running coach Lisa Smith-Batchen advises all her athletes to power walk up every hill. "I think the secret to being a really good ultrarunner is being able to power walk extremely effectively--lean into the hill, push your heels into the ground, and pump your arms," says Smith-Batchen, 44, who tells of walking past mountain bikers on a recent training run up a six-mile hill outside Jackson Hole, WY. "Walking briskly helps your running muscles and heart rate recover while still moving you forward." Because of terrain and walking "breaks," most ultramarathoners average nine- to 13-minute miles on trails.

HOW TO GO THE DISTANCE

So what does it actually take to complete one of these long races? "An ultra is about 30 percent physical and 70 percent mental," says Sybrowsky. "You can push your body a lot more than you've trained for." Kevin Setnes, president of American Ultrarunning Association and an ultrarunning coach in Eagle, WI, agrees that you don't have to be athletically gifted to run an ultra. "It's just a matter of will," he says.