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Mac:
Well, if you could put yourself in the shoes of the runners who are out there, say that fun runner turned elite 501, Matteo Poddighe – what’s going through his mind right now?
Pete:
He’s not even halfway through the race yet, so you gotta hope he’s kept something in the tank. It’s really common to peak too soon in this kind of race. For that fun runner in particular, if he’s been really pushing his limits to make the cut for the elites, then he’s at high risk for burnout. And in these temperatures it’s a double whammy. Any fatigue is going to be magnified by the heat.
Then the last stage – the long run – that’s going to be the real test. When you start to think about running a hundred miles in one go … that’s serious. On top of all the normal muscle aches and soreness and the battering your limbs take, there’s sleep deprivation, extreme digestive issues, cramping, hallucinations – so much fun stuff to deal with. I remember during Badwater, I was so desperate for a burger that I thought I saw one waiting for me at the side of the road. It was wrapped up in paper, like someone had left it for me as a gift. I’d stopped, knelt down, opened it up – it smelled so good, the burger was glistening, the bun was so soft. I took a bite. I damn near ate the whole thing.
Then this runner came up behind me – snapped me out of it. I’d literally been sat at the side of the road eating dirt. That juice I’d tasted? I’d bitten down on the inside of my cheek so hard I was bleeding.
Mac:
And you kept going after that?
Pete:
Believe it or not, I felt full! I finished, yeah, but my time sucked. I’ve heard of people feeling like they’re being chased by zombies or the trees around them becoming giants with faces and hands trying to stop them. This is a messed-up sport, but let me tell you, the feeling when you complete something you thought was impossible? It’s unmatched. It’s pure euphoria. There’s nothing like it.
Mac:
Aye, but I still think it takes a special breed. I’ve only done one hundred-miler in my lifetime and never again. I’ll stick to my fifty-k ultras, ta very much. And they will have already run a hundred miles by the end of the fourth stage, so it will all be on tired legs.