Central Oregon vistas and trails attract ultrarunners

BEND, Ore. (AP) — Remember in the movie "Forrest Gump," when Forrest runs across the United States on a journey lasting more than three years?

Tom Hanks' character seems to barely notice the mass of runners that begins to follow him.

It's the same for many ultrarunners runners who compete in races of 50 kilometers or longer. As their feet pound the trail for time spans of up to 30 hours and distances of up to 100 miles, they become oblivious to other competitors and the race becomes one against themselves — a torturous psychological battle to continue to the finish.

"There's always something you learn about yourself every time," says Jeff Browning, an ultrarunner from Bend who has won four of the seven 100-mile races he has entered. "It's like peeling an onion. You get down to the raw core of yourself."

Sean Meissner, an ultrarunner from Sisters, says the mental and physical highs and lows experienced during a race are extreme.

"As you go up in distance, you face more demons, and it really becomes a race against yourself, to see how deep you can dig when everything sucks," says Meissner, for whom the 36-mile Run to the Sun last month on Maui marked an even 100 career ultra races. "Because it's going to suck again. But it'll get good again."

Central Oregon has become a hotbed for ultrarunners in recent years. With countless miles of trails and the Cascade Mountains close by for training runs in the summer, Bend is home to some of the country's top ultrarunners.

They can also train year-round by heading east of Bend to more moderate weather conditions in the winter.

The region's blossoming, tightknit outdoor endurance community also offers a ready-made support group, full of friends and prospective training partners.

"We have such a good, deep athletic community," says Browning, who is also an avid skier and cyclist. "Everybody says they were a good athlete until they came to Bend."

But the rise in popularity of ultrarunning is not just a local phenomenon. As more Americans take to the trails to run, more are tackling longer distances. The Outdoor Industry Foundation reported in 2005 that trail running was among Americans' top five outdoor activities. More than 40 million Americans ran trails in 2005, up from 31 million in 1998.

According to TrailRunner magazine, many of these new runners are baby boomers who prefer more forgiving running surfaces. Better suited for endurance than speed, these runners find that trail ultras are less punishing than road marathons, the magazine reported.

"It's just the seclusion and simplicity of being out in the woods," Browning says.

But not all ultra races are run on trails. Kami Semick, of Bend, one of the top female ultrarunners in the country, will compete in her fourth International Association of Ultrarunners 100K World Cup on June 19 in Belgium. The race is staged entirely on roads.

Semick, 42, who says female ultrarunners are peaking in their late 40s, finished second last year in the World Cup, which she calls the "Olympics of ultrarunning."

"I know I can run a better time for myself, and it all depends on who shows up," Semick says of her chances of winning the 100K World Cup.

Sponsored and paid a salary by the outdoor apparel and equipment company The North Face, Semick is one of those rare ultrarunners who is earning a living from the sport. But such a career comes with challenges, whether making time for her husband and young daughter while running up to 100 miles per week, or just enduring another ultra race.

"You need to know it will get better," Semick says of the mental strain of an ultra race. "It's being able to manage discomfort. You can be so uncomfortable, and when you cross that finish line it just fades away.

Meissner, 35, is unmarried and has no kids. He says he recently ran 140 miles in one week — that's an average of 20 miles per day for the week. He says he burns through a pair of running shoes every 300 or 400 miles — that's about every two to three weeks. Luckily, he is sponsored by Montrail footwear and works at Fleet Feet running apparel store in Bend, so he gets free shoes.

"It seems like all I'm doing is eating, sleeping, running and working," says Meissner, who plans to race in the Western States 100-miler in California on June 27. "I get mad, because I'm always hungry. When you run that much, you fight to keep weight on."

Rod Bien is the owner of Fleet Feet and another dedicated Central Oregon ultrarunner. Bien says that when running a 100-miler, his mind-set is to treat his body like a race car, constantly monitoring it.

"For 17 to 30 hours, you have to get calories and you have to get hydration," says Bien, a husband and the father of three. "You have to keep your energy up (during an ultra race), but do that without getting sick. It's difficult to process food."

Running in ultras since 2000, the 36-year-old Bien says he has never suffered a major burnout from running. He plans to race in the Wasatch 100-miler in Utah in September.

"If I have something I'm shooting for, it's easy to get out the door," Bien says. "I make sure it's never work for me. If I wasn't running, I'd be out hiking."

Browning, 37, who plans to compete in 100-mile races in New York and Missouri this fall, turns to other sports to train for running and to avoid a burnout. A mountain biker and road cyclist before he became an ultrarunner, Browning can still frequently be found on his bike. He also cross-country skis and telemark skis in the winter.

Browning, a husband and the father of two, plans to race in two endurance mountain biking races this summer, including the High Cascades 100 in Central Oregon in August.

"Trail running and mountain biking are similar," Browning says. "You're dirty, and you have to pick a good line. But it takes years to get really good on a mountain bike, where you can appreciate it. Trail running's pretty simple. It's pure."

Browning, a member of the Patagonia Ultrarunning Team who was introduced to the sport by Bien in 2000, says mental preparation is crucial in ultra races.

"If you're not mentally prepared, they (the races) will smash you in the face," Browning says. "I read once that you run the first 50 miles with your legs, and the second 50 with your head. It's all in your head. You're tired and you want to sit down."

Semick reached a low point at the Miwok 100K trail race last month in Northern California. Running in a torrential downpour for most of the race, Semick became hypothermic and, to make matters worse, fell into a mud puddle. She called it an "epic struggle" not to drop out. She eventually finished the race and won.

"I was at my lowest low," Semick says, "and five miles later, I just felt fabulous."

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.