wow...looks like the public at large is going to learn of the loon
fringe of our sport.....as it goes prime time.
Palmer native plans 300-mile run in Arizona
3/15/2005, 2:07 p.m. ET
By RENEE PRUSI
The Associated Press
(AP) - MARQUETTE, Mich. - Palmer native Pam Reed appreciates the
irony when recalling her days of running track at Negaunee High School.
"I go back to when in track in high school, I would cheat when the
coach told us to run three miles," Reed said. "I would say, 'I'm not
running that.' I thought it was so far. Honestly, I cheated.
"I would be the instigator and tell all the other girls we should cut
through people's yards instead of running the full distance."
Reed, 44, is planning a 300-mile run. That's 300 miles without stopping
to sleep. It's the latest goal for the woman many believe is one of the
world's top ultramarathon athletes - runners in races of more than 30
miles.
Reed is scheduled to be talking about her sport and her life on the
March 27 edition of CBS's "60 Minutes."
The interview was completed recently in Reed's Tucson, Ariz., home.
Reed became known to distance running enthusiasts when she emerged to
capture the Badwater Marathon in 2002. The Badwater is one of the
sport's ultimate events - a 125-mile trek from the depths of Death
Valley halfway up Mount Whitney.
In her inaugural run, Reed scorched the field, winning the race by more
than five hours over her nearest competitor, male or female. She won
the race again in 2003, and took fourth in 2004.
The "60 Minutes" story is to air about the time Reed hopes to finish
her 300-mile run. She is going to do loops on a certified course in
Arizona, with a cadre of supporters tagging along to provide beverages
and encouragement.
Dean Karanazes, the top male ultramarathon runner, was Reed's
inspiration for the distance.
"Dean's the guy who won the Badwater and who has run 262 miles
non-stop," she said. "He said a goal of his is to run 300 miles, but he
hasn't done it yet.
"My husband Jim asked me if I could do 300 miles. I thought about it
for a day or so and said that I could," Reed said. "I talked to the guy
who has helped me prepare for the Badwater and decided to go for it."
Come rain, heat or drought, Reed plans to start the 300-mile run at 6
a.m. MST. She estimates the distance will take between 60 and 72 hours
to run, with the only stops she makes being bathroom breaks.
"Sixty hours? That would be a dream to do it in that time," she said.
"But whatever it takes, it will be OK."