I cannot believe I have come across an ultra trail runner i can respect
as a competitor and NOT a feat accomplisher. No wonder...he's really a
marathoner who enters these events of feat accomplishers...and
dominates while setting course records....
AUSTIN RUNNING
For ultra-runner Steidl, marathon is in its own class of pain
Shorter distance is also more intense, he points out.
By Brom Hoban
Saturday, February 18, 2006
Uli Steidl knows there are more differences between a marathon and a
50-miler than the matter of some 24 extra miles.
For one, "the marathon hurts a lot more than the 50-miler," said
Steidl, an elite runner who's one of the top men's seeds for the
Freescale Austin Marathon on Sunday.
Of the elite runners in the Freescale field, only Ukrainian Mykola
Antonenko has a faster marathon time than Steidl's, and Antonenko's
mark of 2 hours, 13 minutes and 51 seconds is only five seconds
quicker. Unlike the other top entrants, however, Steidl also is an
accomplished ultra-runner - a rare combination in an elite
marathoner. So far, the 33-year-old Steidl has set course records in
all seven ultra-marathons he has run.
Steidl, who lives in Seattle, also knows how to win a marathon. From
1994 to 2004, he won the Seattle Marathon six straight times and placed
first in the Vancouver International Marathon for five straight years.
While most elite marathoners keep their long runs to about 20 to 24
miles, Steidl likes to get in runs far longer than the marathon's
26.2-mile distance. He's been known to run for up to 4 1/2 hours in the
Cascade Mountains near his home. And he occasionally treks for six
hours or so with Scott Jurek, the seven-time Western States 100-Mile
champion, who also is part of Freescale's field.
Jurek thinks Steidl has gained mental and physical strength from his
ultra runs.
"Uli is probably one of the most versatile runners I know," Jurek said.
"From 5K to six-hour trail runs, he's done it. He's an elite marathoner
who is not afraid to run on trails. I think the ultra trail races
definitely help with mental toughness and strength.
"You climb thousands of feet on the trails, building strength and power
in your legs. It's a different kind of pain - more of a discomfort.
Uli really knows how to train."
In December, Steidl won the SunMart 50K in Huntsville, completing his
fifth 50K while setting a course record of 3:07:46.
Winning a 50-mile or 50K race - that's 31 miles - would appear to
be more difficult than winning a marathon, but Steidl, who came to the
United States 13 years ago and was an All-American in track and
cross-country at the University of Portland, tends to disagree.
"In (ultra) trail races, there is not a lot of incentive to go right up
to your limit," he said. "But in a marathon, if you slow down, the
clock just keeps ticking, so you know you have to keep pushing hard.
I'd rather run a 2:14 at Freescale and place fifth than run a 2:17 and
place second. For me, running a fast time is more important than the
(prize) money.
"A 50-mile trail race is a very different experience," he said. "You
are going around your normal training pace, but you have to keep it up
for six or seven hours. In a marathon, you are going much faster, and
hurting more."
http://www.statesman.com/sports/content/sports/stories/other/02/18MARATHON.html