½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï Runners Vanquish Ultramarathon
Fifty miles.
Two runners.
A single goal.
Two ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï runners accomplished an incredible feat of endurance last weekend, running 50 miles in the American River Ultramarathon.
History major John Young ’15 crossed the finish line in 8:54:52, coming in 114th in a field of 823. John, who hails from The Dalles, Oregon, was the youngest runner to complete the race.
John ran hot on the heels of ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï bookstore manager Ueli Stadler, who posted a time of 8:48:51, coming in 102nd in the field.
“Ueli beat me by six minutes (pure vanity led me to think that I might compete with Odysseus),” John wrote after the race. “He put the hammer down somewhere around mile 44. When I put my foot on the gas, nothing happened. I have a lot of experience with that particular phenomenon: my family drives a Geo Metro.”
John and Ueli are both regular members of the ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï Runners, a ragtag group of students, faculty, staff, and alumni, who can be seen plying trails and paths throughout southeast Portland.
The last couple of years have witnessed a surge of interest in running at ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï. Record numbers of ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ïies have turned out for the Hood-To-Coast Relay and the . ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï holds a 5K Odyssey Run in September and there are unconfirmed rumors about a moonlight running group.
As far as we're concerned, the idea of running 50 miles (roughly the distance from the ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï canyon to the ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï ski cabin) provokes one overriding emotion.
Awe.
Tags: Sports & Adventures