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Heather Newman of the Detroit Free Press wrote a great article about ultrarunning for the local Dances with Dirt 50m/50k in Hell, MI last weekend. It features four profiles of runners who used ultras to come back from health issues and get a new perspective on life. A few of my favorite quotes:

"Because the events are a little smaller, you get to know people better," he said. "It's a whole 'nuther world. It's not about winning the race. You show up at an ultra, and people are laughing and patting each other on the back. You're taking a journey together."

And it's not just the events that keep her running. The long training days, timed around her job as a third and fourth-grade math and science teacher at Daycroft Montessori in Ann Arbor, Mich., keep her mind clear, too. "I use the parks as my Zen, my mental playground," she said. "I give my cares over to the world. It's entrancing when you get into the woods. You lose the moments. You lose the time. You're just out there."

"I think about everything. What my life is, and why I'm doing what I'm doing. Things kind of evaporate, and you're left with just the things that matter to you. You get very, very focused on just one thing at a time," Bourque said. "You have to pick and choose things to dream about at the finish line. I think about the kids with wheelchairs, and diseases and I just keep pushing myself for those that can't. I'm truly grateful to have a fully functioning body, and I want to push it as far as I can."

You can read the full article here.

BTW, the costumes for the Dances with Dirt Team competition are AWESOME. Check out the video below.



- SD