High Country Running: Reflections on aging from an ‘old’ ultrarunner

I am a 71-year-old “recovering” ultrarunner! In 1999, after several marathons and realizing I was not getting any faster, I decided to try an ultra.

My first was the historic JFK 50-miler in November 1999. I loved it and was immediately hooked. I eventually graduated to 100-milers (three) and even one 72-hour race (146.7 miles at Across the Years in Phoenix in 2008). By 2022, I had finished over 70 ultras. The last was the 24 Hour Run for Cancer, a race I created in 2004 in Virginia, where I ran 53.5 miles in 2022.