WHEN YOU TELL someone that you’re training for a marathon, the most common response (from nonrunners, at least) is a combination of awe and incredulity. Yes, you have to plan out your strategy and train for weeks—preferably months—beforehand for best results. But 26.2 miles is still largely viewed as being within the realm of the achievable for the everyday guy. When you start talking about running longer distances, races that span 50 or even 100 miles, like the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) in the Alps or the Western States Endurance Run in the Sierra Nevadas, people freak out, because they can’t fathom the level of endurance required. But running an ultra is absolutely possible for anyone with the will to put one foot in front of the other. You just really, really need to prepare.
generally refers to races longer than a standard marathon, many of them 50
