A traditional marathon is 26.2 miles. An ultramarathon is much longer.

Sam Bertenthal, vice president of operations for D.H. Bertenthal & Sons, Pittsburgh, ran his first 26-mile marathon in 1982 at 24. He went on to compete in two traditional marathons each year in places like Pittsburgh, New York, Chicago and Boston.

In 1991, Sam got bored with “big city marathons,” and discovered ultramarathons. Standard distances for ultramarathons are 50 and 100 miles, along with other “crazy” events that exceed 100 miles.

Sam just completed his third ultramarathon: The “28th Annual Western States Endurance Run.” The run starts in Squaw Valley, Calif., site of the 1960 Winter Olympic Games. From there, the runners go up a mountain about 8,700 feet and continue at high elevations for another 20 miles or so. The route traverses four major canyons, following trails used in the 1800s by gold and silver miners. The race ends 100 miles later in Auburn, Calif., about 45 miles from Sacramento, Calif.

Besides the mountains, canyons and mining trails, the route also crosses a river 78 miles into the race — runners head straight through the cold American River. The water is about chest-deep for Sam, but there is a guide rope across the river. It’s risky: the participant’s guide advises competitors not to try to ford that river during training runs. It’s just too dangerous.

Medical personnel monitor the runners throughout the race, especially looking for excessive weight loss, a common — and critical — medical problem. Sam started the race weighing 134 pounds, and luckily he maintained that weight. If a runner loses more than 7 percent of his or her body weight in the race, it usually mandates a runner’s withdrawal. Runners need to drink one-third of their weight in fluids during the run, meaning Sam probably consumed 44 pounds of fluid between 5 a.m. on June 23 and at 8:18 a.m. on June 24 when he finished.

More than 1,300 volunteers — not including support for individual runners — staff 25 aid stations, including 11 medical checkpoints with 50 physicians, 75 nurses, 20 podiatrists, 40 podiatry students and a number of emergency medical personnel and massage therapists. Sam’s wife, Anne Humphreys, who is also a marathon runner, is Sam’s support crew for ultramarathons. Anne drives to the aid stations to provide Sam with food, drink, and at least three changes of shoes and socks.

Sam’s biggest challenge as an endurance runner was the “1995 Western States Endurance Run.” That year, Squaw Valley had record snowfall of 60 feet, so the first 20 miles were snow-covered, causing runners to slip; many also suffered from hypothermia. As the race progressed, temperatures rose above 100 degrees. Normally, runners must finish in less than 30 hours, but weather conditions that year pushed the time limit to 32 hours. “Probably the happiest moment of my running career was finishing that race,” Sam said.

One of the biggest hazards for ultramarathons is getting lost on the trail itself. That’s where pace runners “pacers” come in. Pacers join runners for the last 40 miles of the run. While the pacers are not allowed to provide physical assistance, they can offer moral support, especially to the ultramarathoners who are running in the dark and, by the time the pacers join them, have already completed at least 60 miles of the race.

Sam says that at 43 he’s one of the “youngsters,” and that there are frequently competitors in their 60s and 70s. “Anybody can do it. I don’t think I have any special athletic ability, but I have a will and a desire to want to go further,” he said.

If you’re not up to running an ultramarathon, but want to join as a pacer, just remember the rules: even a pacer has to be an experienced trail runner who can run 40 miles over rough terrain.

Gretchen Roufs, a 15-year janitorial supply industry veteran, owns Auxiliary Marketing Services of San Antonio. To suggest someone you think should be featured in “freetime,” contact her at (210) 601-4572.




POSTED ON: 8/1/2001