Ultrarunning
Jun. 3rd, 2004 01:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
azziriaThe challenge is to run 135 miles. Through Death Valley. In July. These people must be totally nuts.
I've just been reading about the Badwater Ultramarathon, almost certainly the most demanding and extreme ultra held anywhere in the world.
Totally nuts, yes, but I’m also totally in awe of them. I’m fascinated by what drives them. By what makes them both willing and able to face such a huge mental and physical challenge. What they do makes a conventional marathon (26 miles) seem like a stroll in the park.
Very interesting to note, though, that the winner for the last two years has been a woman, a 40-something mother of three, Pam Reed. And that last year 4 of the top 10 finishers were women. And that the contestants are nearly all in their 40s and 50s. So extreme ultrarunning seems to be a leveller of the sexes, and definitely not a young persons game.
So maybe I’m in my prime after all!
I've just been reading about the Badwater Ultramarathon, almost certainly the most demanding and extreme ultra held anywhere in the world.
Totally nuts, yes, but I’m also totally in awe of them. I’m fascinated by what drives them. By what makes them both willing and able to face such a huge mental and physical challenge. What they do makes a conventional marathon (26 miles) seem like a stroll in the park.
Very interesting to note, though, that the winner for the last two years has been a woman, a 40-something mother of three, Pam Reed. And that last year 4 of the top 10 finishers were women. And that the contestants are nearly all in their 40s and 50s. So extreme ultrarunning seems to be a leveller of the sexes, and definitely not a young persons game.
So maybe I’m in my prime after all!
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no subject
Date: 2004-06-03 06:11 am (UTC)It actually makes sense that a woman has won. It's been proven that, while men may be faster and stronger, a woman in the same comparitive shape has better endurence. The female body was just made to take greater punishment than a man's. We also store more water than men do. Not to mention that when removed from culturally taught notions of pain reaction, women on a whole have a higher pain tolerence. ;-)
Really cool about the age; I hadn't known that. Just goes to show once more that life doesn't end at 35.
:-D