If there were any two completely opposite races in my schedule this summer it was definitely the 50 mile Lake Waramaug and two weeks later the Ultra Race of Champions 100k. Here are those tales... Jack Briston Lake Waramaug 50 miler - April 29 I've looked at this race in past years and the course and the photos, as well as the speed of the course are always tempting. This year I went for it. The race was supposed to be a quick road 50 as a tune-up for the UROC 100k a couple o

This is something I've asked myself many times in the past few months before and after registering for the race and something I've been asked at least as many times by other inquiring minds. It seems like a simple enough question on the surface, but the honest answer goes deeper than that. First, what is the Vol-State 500k? From the race website: "The Vol-State is not just another ultra-marathon. It is much more than that. The Vol-State is a journey, an adventure, and an expl

"You're just not there yet." These words were uttered to me by a very close friend the day after my soul-crushing disappointment of a race this past weekend. I'm not sure if those are the hardest or the easiest words to hear in this case. On one hand, maybe it's true. Maybe I'm just not yet capable of running 150 miles in under 24 hours. If that's the truth, then that's easy. I just keep running more and running harder and I'll teach my body to get there. Sure, I wanted to be

143.39. I keep thinking to myself that this number is absurd. 143.39 miles. In 24 hours. I still can't believe that I did it. I mean, in my heart I knew I could, and it is what I was aiming for, but to have such an ambitious goal realized after over a year of hard training for this very number (or at least 140) is still kind of surreal. Let's back up a little bit. Back to August 16, 2012 in Burlington, Vermont. This was 2 days before the USAT Age Group National Championships.