Not many people can say they have run a marathon, a monumental task in and of itself. But even fewer people can say they have run an ultra marathon.
Prince Rupert runner Samantha Kasdorf can check off both of those boxes. The difference between an ultra marathon and a marathon isn’t just the cool name.
There are months of training both physically and mentally. Everything matters: water intake, calorie consumption, proper gear and sweat ratio, all of which you must carefully measure and consider when running in an ultramarathon.
For Kasdorf once you get past all the number crunching, mental and physical preparation it is all about staying positive and motivated.
“You really have to dig deep, you’re going to go through ebbs and flows of a race, you’ve got to find a mantra or simple sayings to tell yourself to keep you going, and then you’ll find yourself out of the rough patch,” Kasdorf said, “I’m a very stubborn person, it’s about crossing that finish line, I always race against the clock.”
Kasdorf said if she’s in a rut she will try and think of anything to get her out no matter how random they may seem, sharing that in her last race she thought of recipes during some of the tougher stretches
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Kasdorf preaches that no matter how athletic you are, there’s always a place to start.
“Don’t worry about your pace or length, feel out what works best for you, and if you need that extra push, then find a running buddy, and get out there and push each other,” Kasdorf said.
After posting the fourth fastest time ever done by a woman at the San Joaquin River Trail 100km Ultra Marathon, Kasdorf already has her eyes set on yet another unfathomably long race.
She signed up for the Sinister 7. The name alone will send most people packing, and if the name doesn’t frighten you the details will, it is a 100 mile, yes you read that’s right, the 161-kilometre race has runners travel throughout the Albertan Rockies, with a total elevation of 6,400m through the run, and runners have 30 hours to cross the finish line.
Despite just coming off an ultramarathon that took everything she had, Kasdorf said there wasn’t any hesitation in signing up for her next race.
“I’m always chasing finishing lines, because I don’t know maybe my legs will stop working in a couple months,” Kasdorf said with a laugh.
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