By David Blaikie
Ultramarathon World
An ultramarathon is any organized footrace extending beyond the standard
marathon running distance of 42 kilometres, 195 metres (26 miles, 385
yards). Ultra races typically begin at 50 kilometres and can extend to
enormous distances. There is no limit.

The longest certified ultramarathon in the world is The Ultimate Ultra, the
annual Sri Chinmoy 1300-Miler (2092 kilometres) which is held each fall in
New York. There is also the annual Trans America Footrace, which is run in
64 consecutive daily stages from Los Angeles to New York. Runners cover
almost 3,000 miles (more than 4800 kilometres) at a rate of about 45 miles
(72 kilometres) a day.
Ultramarathons are run on roads, trails and tracks. They can be
point-to-point, like the Comrades Marathon in South Africa; out and back,
like the Niagara 100K in Canada; or held on loop courses, like the famous
one-mile loop that Sri Chinmoy runners circle 1300 times in New York.
Rules allow runners to “go as you please.” This means they may take walking
breaks, pause to drink or eat and even sleep if the events are especially
long, such as multi-day races. No penalty results from any such
interruption, except for the time or distance a runner loses from his or her
performance.
Men and women compete in ultramarathons at all levels. They always have. In
modern times, they usually compete together in the same race. One hundred
years ago, when the sport flourished as “pedestrianism,” men and women
competed in separate events.
There are two types of events - those in which runners set out to cover a
fixed distance (whether it be 100 kilometres, 1000 kilometres or more) and
those in which runners attempt to cover the greatest possible distance
within a fixed period of time (such as 24 hours, 48 hours or six days).
Journey running is another aspect of the sport. Journey runners are lone
trekkers who set out to cover long distances at their own daily pace. The
most common examples are transcontinental runners, such as those who have
crossed Canada, the United States and Australia on foot, or those who have
run from John O’Groats to Land’s End in Britain.
Megarunners are another sub-group within the sport. They are known not for
their speed or records but for the great number of marathons and
ultramarathons they run. Henri Girault of Naintre, France, has run more than
200 races of 100 kilometres or more. American Norm Frank of Rochester, New
York, has run more than 550 marathons and ultras. And Canadian Wally Herman
of Ottawa has run more than 400 such races, including at least one marathon
or ultra in every Canadian province and territory, every U.S. state and in
more than 70 countries worldwide.
There are Standard and Non-Standard ultramarathon events, although
ultrarunners do not always agree which events fit in each category. The most
generally accepted Standard events are 50 Kilometres, 50 Miles, 100
Kilometres, 150 Kilometres, 100 Miles, 24 Hours, 200 Kilometres, 48 Hours,
200 Miles, Six Days, 1000 Kilometres and 1,000 Miles.
Six Days became a major Standard racing racing distance in the last century,
when ultramarathoning was known as pedestrianism. It was the longest event
that could be held without competing on Sunday. Typically, six day races
started at the stoke of midnight on Sunday night and concluded at the same
time the following Saturday night. Non-standard “events” include all other
measures of time and distance, and they can be numerous and demanding for
statisticians to monitor.
During the course of one long race, for example, runners may be timed or
measured through many “splits,” or intervals, and can sometimes set numerous
records in the process. In a six-day race, athletes pass through literally
dozens of race intervals, Standard and Non-Standard. The categories multiply
even more when Metric and Imperial distances are taken into account.
Ultramarathon racing is much older than the marathon (which originated with
the first modern Olympics in 1896) but only recently has the sport has been
recognized by the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF). In 1991,
the IAAF extended official recognition to the 100-kilometre event. Since
that time the 100-kilometre event has replaced the marathon as the longest
running distance recognized by the world athletics governing body. The
annual IAU 100-Kilometre World Challenge is now held each year by the
International Association of Ultrarunners “under the patronage of” the IAAF.