There once was an idea and a race came to be
It would include running, beer and eventually – me!
So winding back one, no two entire score
We’ll take a little trek into history and lore
It had to be unique, it had to be wild
And attract all ages from geriatric to child!
“We’ll do one track race, no we’ll do four!”
“Hell, add some cross-country, what’s ONE more?”
And with much excitement and herald
What would it be called?!
“We’ll call it The Ultimate Runner”
“Nothing could be funner!”
And thus history was made and continues from here
With many more years of blood, sweat, and beer.
2026 Ultimate Runner
“HOW COULD I MISS IT?” These thoughts went racing through my head at 4:38pm after Madeline Belle was born 4:37pm on January 21st.
Just kidding.
But it was not long after that I decided I really, really did not want to miss the Ultimate Runner’s 40 th anniversary and Sandy Wetherhold’s last year as the race director. The last time I was able to compete in this event was 2021 and, at that point, I had a strong training base in my legs and lungs from many years of marathon training.
Fast forward to 2026, I knew that when I could start running again after becoming a mom, it would be a very tall order to be able to run in the Ultimate Runner or even finish it!
YOLO!
I have a calendar on my wall where I write down what my run or exercise is for the day (ANALOG Strava!) and went back to check how on earth I trained for this year’s event. In late February, I started being able to “wog” again, a combination of walking and jogging. I was very thankful when my friend Heather Hugosson agreed to meet me once a week, go a slower patient pace with me, and we laughed and became “woggers” on Tuesdays. February training included 4-5 mile days either running/walking or on the elliptical. In March, I was starting to learn what it’s like to be a new parent; you get sick a lot. I was able to get my daily “miles” up to 5-6 but navigated a three-week chest cold that was very annoying. At this point, my ability to race in the Ultimate Runner was feeling bleak. In April, I was able to get up to an 8-mile run and did my first track workout on April 25th. I dusted off the pair of Alphafly’s that were in a bag in the back of my car with a bunch of other crusty old running things and headed down to Hanes Park for 200’s and 400’s. I have always felt these were the way to quickly crank the legs back up. I was shocked when my watch said 39 seconds for each 200 and 80 seconds for each 400. The next day, it felt like I had been in a car crash, but I still went back to the track the following Tuesday to ensure it wasn’t a fluke; still hit 39 seconds for 200 meters, was able to hold a 6:12 pace for two miles and finished with a 37 second 200.
BACK IN BUSINESS!
Maybe.
In May, I was headed back to work, and scheduling workouts was a little more of a puzzle but figured I could get to the track once a week. After having done a few more 200-meter workouts, I realized I needed to seriously determine how fast I could run a mile and if I could run the four other events after that. To be completely honest, I was scared of running a hard mile! Those hurt! On May 23 rd , I decided to give it a shot and ran a 5:52. With four 400’s and four 200’s after this mile, I knew I needed a very acute plan for the next five weeks leading up to Ultimate. So, in June, I decided to “run” the Ultimate every Friday for three Fridays and I decided I would go at lunch time to ensure I could handle the heat! As you can imagine, there were not many others out there at that time of day except local legends and sprinters, David Shannon and Lane Wilton; they have no idea how encouraging that was to me! My mile time began to drop each week, and I started to feel confident that I would finish all five races and that I would be able to post respectable times.
Ultimately (pun intended), it was a quick few weeks to get ready for the races, but I am so glad that I did and so thankful for the opportunity to run. It reinforced to me that when you put your mind, body and heart to work, you can and will do things that surprise you in the best ways!
The pinnacle of the day was seeing everyone that I had not seen in so long. It was fantastic to honor Sandy and be a part of the 40 th anniversary. It meant so much to me to celebrate others and to celebrate my first year competing as mom. I walked away from this year’s event filled with gratitude and fired up for the 41st .