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The 24-Hour Run by Eb Engelmann

     One of the most underrated and underutilized runs in the menagerie of competitive events is the 24-hour run. It is an event of remarkable logic and symmetry. And it is potentially a very social run.

     Twenty-four hours is an interesting time period and an interesting race. The time period has both celestial and terrestrial significance. It is the most basic temporal building block of our lives. Why not test our passion for running over this fundamental period? The object of the race, quite simply, is to complete as many laps — or to cover as many miles—as possible in 24 hours. The person with the greatest accumulated mileage at the end of the 24 hours wins. The second most mileage is second, and so forth.

     Twenty-four hour runs are typically held upon closed circuits: 400 meter tracks and park loop courses—paved or trail— of one kilometer or one mile or something on that order, usually around a body of water, or some other contained circuit. This offers many advantages. First, there is no danger of getting lost. Traffic control, with just a little forethought, is a nonissue. Course aid is always near at hand, as are personal vehicles, tents, restrooms, lap counters, and the like. Services are never more than a half mile away even on the longest layouts, and on a track they are never more than one-quarter mile distant. This is a huge logistical advantage!

     Other runners are also never more than a half mile or less away. Either they are lapping you or you are lapping them. Occasionally, you will be running an uncannily similar pace so you will not see another runner for some time, but then a rest stop will intervene to bring you together again. You will see most runners repeatedly over the course of twenty-four hours. Some such recurring acquaintanceships will be the start of long lasting friendships.

     The style of running in the 24hour is called "go as you please," that is you are free to run, walk, or break as you see fit. Obviously, all that counts is progress on the course—laps. And someone is assigned to record your progress. Nothing is gained while you are sitting, sleeping, showering, or otherwise breaking from the task at hand. So pacing, as in all racing, is critical—only here perhaps even more so. You will be here for a long time. Never before, and perhaps never again, will 24 hours be so long.

     Running for 24 hours is a real exercise in introspection and self-discovery. Many people have not even stayed awake for 24 hours, or at least not recently, let alone stayed focused upon a single goal for that long a period. The body and the mind go through sometimes amazing and often unpredictable mood swings. One lap, you may be walking with a new acquaintance sharing jokes and anecdotes and having a great time. Another lap, you may be mentally down and almost out, seeking to be alone, and getting lost deep inside your badly flagging psyche. On yet another lap, sleep deprivation, an upset stomach, blisters, cold, wet, or some combination of all of the above may be severely limiting your sociability and good cheer. But you may yet come back with the light and renewed vigor of the dawn to visit a colleague and share of yourself again. The event is truly a trip in self-discovery.

     Many course "rabbits" are burned out and finished in four, six, or eight hours. But this is only the actual beginning of the real race. Here the tortoise often reigns supreme! Even four miles an hour, if maintained throughout the event, would generate 96 miles, a staggering total for someone never having gone beyond 26.2 miles—if that far.

     And one of the real joys of the 24-hour is that there is no finish line. There is only the expiration of time. So whatever you get, you get. You may only get 16 miles, or 54, or 98, perhaps even 132 miles if you are truly talented! But whatever it is, you get it! This is totally unlike a 100 mile run, where if you get 98 miles, you only get a "dnf" or did not finish. There you will get no credit nor acknowledgement for your 98 mile effort. Here it is all yours!

     So why not set yourself a goal of trying one of these events? Try one this year! And oh yes, did I mention that you also do not have to stay for the 24-hours? A number of people will withdraw well before then. Some are gone in as little as 3-4 hours, some in 8-10, more in 12, and a few in 14-18 hours. And any mileage total achieved to the point of withdrawal is still counted. A few make the mistake of setting a mileage goal (rather than enduring the 24 hours). They will seek, say 50, 75, or even 100 miles. Then they will almost surely stop upon reaching this distance. There is something about a goal also becoming a "lid," once achieved. But do keep the possibility of the full 24 hours open. Who knows?

     Again, why not consider giving this event a try. You might be pleasantly surprised at its virtues. There is something curiously captivating in awaiting the dawn while shuffling along alone on the track—lost in personal reminiscences, both painful and rewarding—perhaps soaring on the edge of emotions very likely never quite experienced before. I have been thoroughly hooked by this event, and even now I await my next 24-hour with great anticipation. It is always a personal adventure into the unknown.

     There is an upcoming 24 Hour run in Longview, WA over the weekend of March 17-18, on a one mile, mostly pea-gravel trail around scenic Lake Sacajawea in an attractive older residential area. The race awards participants with a heavy, hooded sweatshirt as long as a 50 Kilometer minimum distance is completed. Fred Willet is the race director, and he can be reached at 122 Winchester Drive, Kelso, WA 98626

Eb Engelmann