The community aspect is what sets it
apart from other local distance-running
events.
“It’s a way to get people together and
have fun,” says Jason Adams, Southern Tour
participant and Wrightsville Beach business
owner. “It’s a cheap way to entertain yourself.
You get some music, you get to see your
friends. You’re running, which is good for
you. It’s a win-win for everybody. I just like
being a part of that community event that’s
bringing people together.”
The atmosphere, the trail and the distance
adds up to a “we’re all in this together” feel-ing.
Fogle is an accomplished road racer, a
Boston Marathon qualifier, but she prefers
the vibe of the ultra.
“That’s what’s great about this race,” says
Fogle, who finished third overall last year.
“You go out to a road race and people are
pretty competitive. Throw people on a trail
and they become way more fun and relaxed
and chill.”
An ultra is different from a typical road
marathon, and not just because of the
increased distance. A marathon is more
structured. Most runners have a goal time,
and markers every mile make it easy to keep
track of pace. Not so on a trail. Uncertain
conditions and distances tend to attract
runners with a different mindset.
“I think that the marathon runners tend
to be a little more of that A-type personality,
they’re wearing their Garmin, they’re wear-ing
their gear,” Adams says. “If you go out to
any ultra, it’s the opposite. It’s more of your
free-spirit-type person who’s out there to get
away from things and be out in the woods
and have a new experience.”
Adams runs 25 to 35 miles per week,
often in his surf shorts, just for the fun of it
and to stay active.
“For me, running is freedom,” he says.
“It’s a way to get out there and go, and I’m
not thinking about anything and I’m not
distracted by watches and gear. It’s just your
brain. I don’t listen to music, my cell phone’s
not going, it’s just you and your thoughts.
That’s what running does for me.”
That’s not to say that the Southern Tour
Ultra is without competition, especially in
the 50-mile age-graded relay race. Up to 10
team members run a 5-mile leg each.
Filer is definitely in it to win it. Because
of the gender and age handicap, Filer says
he stacks his team with fast women. The
first year they won both the gross time and
the handicapped time. The second year they
won just the gross.
“That burned, it stung,” Filer says. “How
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WBM january 2018
we lost last year, the team that won came up
with a couple of 65-year-old women.”
He has recruited some new runners and
predicts team Monkey Butt should win
both. “My team is 80 percent women; old,
fast women,” he laughs.
In the shorter race, runners can push the
pace, whereas the longer distance requires
careful energy conservation. Although run-ning
32 miles for four to nine hours is pain-ful
as well.
Ultra runners are attracted to a certain
type of “punishment,” Adams says. The trick
to pushing through the pain is mental rather
than physical.
“It’s a matter of making your mind push
yourself through that physical pain,” he
says. “I’ve been in pain for races and the
minute you stop, typically in seconds that
pain goes away. So just knowing that, you
push on through. I can go another minute,
I can go another mile, I can go another 2
miles to get to my goal, my finish line. I
just suck it up and get through it and it’s
going to go away.”
Pushing through it is how he finished in
the top five at the Southern Tour last year,
without logging the kind of serious mileage
typical to most ultra runners.
Some ultra-goers participate just for the
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