Good Sports

by Budd Glassberg

Reprinted with permission from the Zionsville Times Sentinel on December 27, 2006

Going Long in the Land of Lincoln

"Why aren't you signed up for the 401K?

I'd never be able to run that far." - Scott Adams, Dilbert

This will be the first year in the past five that I will not be running in the HUFF 50K run north of here. The race is called the Huntington Ultra Frigid Fifty and is three loops (each 10.8 miles) around the Huntington, Indiana reservoir. It will be held on this Saturday, December 30 and I will not be there.

I enjoy running the HUFF, but I am not in the proper condition to finish it this year. Instead, over the next few months I will just try to maintain a fair level of fitness and concentrate on gearing up for something long in the spring. Certainly many of the readers of this column are now putting together their New Years revolutions. That is why I am trying to hook someone into joining me in running an ultramarathon. If you have run a marathon and would like a new challenge, perhaps you will never run a marathon as fast as you had when you were younger, this may be the year to train for something longer.

Four years ago, there were slim pickings if you wanted to run in an ultramarathon in the Midwest. Except for the HUFF, the only other ultras were spread out and involved a lot of driving to run in a long race. You had to travel to states like Wisconsin and Minnesota to find a good race. It is encouraging that there are now so many more ultramarathons close to home than there were four years ago.

Recently, central Illinois has become somewhat of a Mecca for ultrarunners. None of the races listed below is more than a three hour drive from Zionsville. Only the Howl at the Moon 8 hour run has been around more than a few years. All others have sprung up due to the increase in number of people wishing to run ultra races. I have run in two of the listed races; Howl and McNaughton Park Trail Runs. I was impressed with the race organization and the courses. For those interested, the Clinton Lake 30 Mile run is almost filled. I am considering running the McNaughton Park ultra again this spring. If anyone is interested in joining me, I’d love to have the company. Here are the five central Illinois ultras for 2007;

Sun, Jan 14, 2007

Illinois Version FatAss 50km
McNabb, Il 10:00 a.m.
1 mile out and back followed by 3 ten mile loops on rolling paved country roads. Time limit: none hours. Field limit: none. 12th annual. Fee- none. Limited aid on course, showers available. Bob Rehn. 4043 East 1550th, McNabb, Illinois 61335. 815-882-2120 (h). Email: rehnfarms@nabbnet.com; Web: None.

Sun, Apr 1, 2007

Clinton Lake 30 Mile Trail Run
DeWitt, IL 8:00 a.m.
Three 10-mile loops on mostly single-track trail through forest, open meadows, and many small hills at Clinton Lake State Recreation Area. Time limit: 8 hours. Field limit: 75. 1st annual. Fee-pre $45. fee-post $55 after Mar 1. Shirt, socks, finisher award, and 1-year sub to Marathon & Beyond magazine. Chris Migotsky. PO Box 602, Mahomet, IL 61853. 217-649-2505. Email: migotsky@uiuc.edu; Web: http://www.secondwindrunningclub.org

Fri, Sat, Sun April 13-15, 2007

McNaughton Park Trail Runs
Pekin, IL 6 a.m.
50 Mile, 100 Mile, 150 Mile Trail Runs. A rugged ten mile loop repeated. Single track dirt trails. 1,600 elevation change per loop. Time limit: 36/48 hours. Field limit: 200. 7th annual. Fee-pre $75/$150/$200. Technical Fabric shirts, jackets for the long races, buckles, great food. Andy Weinberg. 708 Washington Street, Pekin, IL 61554. 309-346-3601. Email: a_s_weinberg@yahoo.com; Web: www.mcnaughtonparktrailruns.com

Sat. August, 11, 2007

Howl at the Moon 8 Hour Run/Walk

Kennekuk Cove County Park at 7am
Age Group & Weight Divisions
Race Director: Marc Reddy
Sponsors: Lee's Famous Recipe and Frank Young

The largest timed ultra in the United States, Howl at the Moon is held at Kennekuk Cove County Park on a 3.29 mile loop with excellent support from Kennekuk's outstanding volunteers.  Do as little or as much as you can.  A perfect event for your first Ultra. Post-race party with food, drink, prizes & music. Email: krr@kennekuk.com ; Web: www.kennekuk.com/events.htm

Sat, Oct 13, 2007

Farmdale Trail Run 50k, 44 mile
East Peoria, IL 7:00 a.m.
10 mile loop, single track, double track service/fire road, no pavement, 3 aid stations. Time limit: 12 hours. Field limit: 150. 2nd annual. Fee-pre $45. Fee-post $50 after Sept 24. Long sleeve shirt, finisher's medal, post race food, well-stocked aid stations. Dave Tapp. 1013 Pepper Tree Lane, Eureka, IL 61530. 309-467-4339 (h). Email: davetapp1@hotmail.com; Web: http://www.farmdaletrailrun.com

Budd Glassberg is a resident of Zionsville who is active in the local running community. Visit www.runz.com for reprints of all his columns. You can reach him by email at budd@runz.com.