The ultrarunning world is inundated with phrases like sufferfest, suffer better, and the like. I understand that some sincerely want to “visit a dark place,” to explore the depths of suffering when they’re running. Others want to collect tales of suffering and share them, whether with themselves or others. They are the conquering hero or the noble adventurer who fell only in the face of insurmountable pain. Still others want to eke every last second out of their performance, knowing that’ll mean dealing with hours of intense discomfort.
In much the same vein, there’s a lot of talk in the trail and ultra community about warriors, battles, and fighting. And if not explicitly referencing war, violence, or the like, then couching the experience of ultrarunning in masculine or macho terminology and approach. To those individuals who want to see themselves in this light, shine on.
However, I’m here to say suffering is optional — at least from a mindset point of view, which I’ll get into in a minute. But, I’ll pause here for a moment to express that I think the prevalence of such suffering-based or macho-themed messaging is a detriment to the sport. Yes, it certainly appeals to and resonates with a subset of the community. But, I’d guess it’s a turnoff for plenty of potential ultrarunners. I know it is for me. I fully believe that one can want to explore new limits without wanting to suffer. I know I don’t want to!
Why search for suffering in such beautiful places? Photo: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
Suffer-Free Motivations to Run an Ultramarathon
So, what other motivations might call someone to the starting line of an ultramarathon?
Adventure
An ultramarathon can often be a journey into the unknown before, during, and after, be it mentally, physically, geographically, or experientially. If you’re reading this, there’s a decent chance that you have a desire to see what’s out there. That could be a new location, a new time of day, or a new set of conditions. Let’s go see what’s over … there!
Wonder
What can I do? What can the human body do? What can the mind accomplish? Can I go that far? Am I that strong? Can I return from injury? Oh, the countless reasons ultramarathons can give us to wonder, whether it’s phrased as “what if,” “can I,” “is it possible,” or something else. These are all preemptive phrasings, but I’ll admit to personally loving the sense of wonder that can spontaneously arise during an ultramarathon. There’s something unbeatable about being waaaay into an ultra and feeling like you just stepped out your door for an easy run. Prepare for your mind to be blown!
Mountains, autumn, and sunsets can all be a source of wonder. They were for me in Ridgway, Colorado, on a recent evening. Photo: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
Achievement
Achievement is whatever you make it. For many, that’ll be finishing one and only one ultramarathon. For others, it could be finishing every ultramarathon they enter over a decades-long career. Add to that time goals, place goals, number of finishes, consecutive finishes at a particular race, collecting finishes over an established race series, a personal “slam,” or tallying finishes over some geographic or temporal spread — and that’s just throwing out some simple finish-based examples. One could also consider adding negative splitting, finishing strong, running a fast intra-race segment, avoiding injury or gastrointestinal issues, or any of many other subjective goals. Go after yours and get it!
Community
Whether it’s teaming up with a loved one or training partner for months of preparation, making the most out of being part of a running club, or embracing the community of fellow entrants, volunteers, and supporters on race day, ultrarunning offers a unique opportunity to bond with others. Indeed, fellowship is one of the hallmark benefits of shared challenge.
Sense of Purpose
While admittedly contrived and superfluous, having an ultramarathon on the calendar can give a sense of purpose, a lighthouse, a direction to row in, at least for a while! I don’t mean to make that sound trivial. It’s something that I acutely felt the lack of this past summer. It’s why I want a Big Hairy Audacious Goal next summer. It feels good to be working toward something.
Countless Other Reasons
While I’ll ask again in the Call for Comments below, I’d love to know what motivations and mindsets you approach ultrarunning with. I’m likely to add some of your suggestions here!
More time to take in nature’s beauty sure seems like a good reason to run long! Photo: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
My Personal Approach
Suffering is not one bit what I seek in ultrarunning. In fact, my training, preparation, planning, and (attempted) execution are all attempts to avoid suffering. I may approach exhaustion or redline my effort, but merely to see what I can do, not because I inherently want to hurt or go deeper into a dark place.
Things can and will go wrong. We will likely hurt. Maybe we’ll hurt a lot. However, you can try to prevent, address, and minimize the effects of what does go wrong. Admittedly, I do like this problem-solving aspect, but only because of the chance and hope of avoiding failure or reversing it. Can I out-think ultra distance? Probably not, but I’ll try!
Even more, this is where training comes in. Admittedly, my training doesn’t aim for some physiological endurance ideal at this point. Rather, for my biggest efforts, I aim to train for possible failure points. If I’m going to run a race with huge vert, I’ll bash my quads until they’re indestructible. Will my next race require me to carry an eight-pound pack? Then, I’ll put in plenty of miles with an 18-pound pack! Will there be lots of continuous running on race day? Well, it’s time for some unpleasantly runnable long runs and maybe even some runnable back-to-backs. You get the idea.
And while I mentioned problem-solving above, prevention and proper maintenance can go a long way in staving off discomfort, as can running within oneself. Not only do we not have to push ourselves too hard, too early on race day, but we can run within ourselves for entire races. It’s an incredible accomplishment to be running strong in the last tenth of a race. Indeed, I only pushed myself for 16 of the final 32 miles in winning the 2024 Ultra Gobi 400k.
Loving life running through the Gobi Desert in China. Photo: Daniel Keppler
Call for Comments
- What motivates you to run ultramarathons?
- How can the trail running and ultrarunning community find other motivations and mindsets than those based around suffering, toughness, and more?
