THE WHY | Running 100 Miles

why 100 miles people ask me this all the time do you do it all in one push do you sleep during it why would any human being want to run a hundred miles and I get it I'll be honest I struggle with the answer sometimes it's something that's become somewhat normalized in our little fringe crazy circle but even still the idea of traveling that far on foot can feel overwhelming I can tell you one thing for certain though it's a crazy wild journey [Music] you [Music] why a hundred miles it's a really great question I think over the last 20 years I've figured out why I like to run long distances and challenge myself in the mountains and specifically the hundred mile distance I often ask myself in the middle of the race you know why do I do this why do I sign up for something that I know it's going to be so extreme or uncomfortable that I'm going to go through pretty low lows it's a real test of the human will and the human spirit and it just kind of really takes you to places that a lot of other things won't take you I think it's in our nature to be curious creatures and certainly the determine among the bunch will constantly seek the next thing and for me personally I wanted my next challenge to be the lead Vil 100 in Colorado the town of Leadville sits at ten thousand two hundred feet it's a mining town they're very proud of their mining heritage kind of went bust in the mid-80s a thinker right around the early 80s so the hundred was developed as a way to to bring economy aid to area it's a it's a small town and all the remnants of mining history are everywhere there's a he still has the rough edges to it for sure [Music] yeah Thank You Jennifer [Music] [Applause] you better sit you everyone's thinking you're gonna come in then I'd like to stay in and tell us I won't quit [Applause] see I chose the Leadville 100 because I wanted the challenge and in some strange way I think the uncertainty of the unknown I worked for months with a coach not my nutrition dialed in and enlisted the help of my two really good friends - both cruelities pew starting I felt ready but I also know that during the course of a hundred mile race anything and everything can and will happen anxiety nerves excitement is one of those things in life where the outcome is far from a given there's a long list of things that can potentially go wrong how will my body respond to running at altitude while my stomach Ravel we'll like crap well I fail it's a beautiful morning here in Leadville Colorado ten thousand two hundred feet [Music] because I'm gonna be thinking about I think gratitude is really powerful emotion and them I don't take for granted that we have the ability to do this and while we still can I'm [Music] or while I still can I'm gonna think about all the people who can't I'm just gonna be doing my best to stay present feel good for as long as I can and then really push through when things get tough yeah thought no one's always scary but if things were handed to us you've outcome of everything 5-footer be nearly as interesting see there was a time when we didn't know where our next meal will come from water couldn't just be purchasing bottles when we pleased I wonder sometimes just how far removed we become from who we once were you know the nomads hunter-gatherers bodies and will hardened by constant movement during what a simple need to survive how far we've softened and yet here was surrounded by almost 700 like-minded people from my tribe intentionally about to march forward into the mountains since dark morning seeking something through the discomfort via unknown what exactly are we seeking see but it does hurt real bad you think they remember you made you promise yesterday you said I commit I won't quit we'll see you at the finish line family we love you [Music] [Music] in the early miles you're holding back so much because you know how far you have left to go and at the same time you try not to get consumed by the enormity of the task at hand it's a hundred miles so you really do your best to try to focus on each breath each step and simply focus on running from eight station to eight station [Music] [Applause] over three hours I don't worried about my legs right now a lot of running a lot of running boats rain in the back office is a little bit more 100 loss [Applause] the Leadville 100 I think the first run was in 1983 making it the second oldest hundred in the United States behind western states that alone I think should afford it forever classic status it's a high-altitude race you start at 10,000 feet in the town of Leadville and run 50 miles out to an old mining town Winfield and then turn around and run back and almost entire Nations above 10,000 feet and that's another element of challenge it was the first race like that to be at a high altitude for that long period of time the human body I think it was designed to move to hunt to flee to really be pushed and tested but somewhere along the way Comfort became the key to happiness right you know big fancy homes luxury cars with heated seats and yet these things these material things never really seemed to make us happy and in the process we've softened both mentally and physically when do we lose our way I often wonder is there something in our DNA that strangely finds comfort through this comfort let me get a couple more of those soon you guys so Billy but let's even if it seemed runnable as you're climbing like mix it off at the 50-point like six and a half hours in a bit of a low spot legs are fried well let's turn this around legs already feel like these run easy or ninety miles cringes and clubs are just hammered it's gonna be a crime [Music] everything in a hundred mile race builds to this moment [Music] when you strip draw and think you're done and that's when the race really begins that's when you find out what you really made of [Music] [Music] [Music] I'm beginning my first ascent I'll pass the climb up to ho past the highest point of the race had twelve thousand six hundred feet was absolutely brutal I got passed by a handful of people and just when I thought I'd reached my lowest moment true to the Colorado Mountain Spirit the winds kicked in and the weather moved in [Music] [Music] you know coming down the mountain for a few moments all was okay the Sun was shining again the views were unbelievable and I ran into a handful of friends yeah how can you complain actually enjoyed running down hope and I've only cried once I hit my head on a rock but once I reach the bottom the legs frustratingly started rebelling again climb they said we're at wind field right now it's mile 50 waiting for ability to come in he's coming down from copass we saw him at Twin Lakes last probably took a little bit more time there at that aid station than the earlier ones but he seems that be having fun out here and and suffering a little bit which is what it's all about hey Jimmy it's a pride yeah my hamstring my quads 60 seconds to the question of why consume my entire being in that moment why why are you doing this to stop here and the suffering ends right now you're thinking wait and I can't I can't run like I'm tripping over rocks when I'm trying to run my legs just meets everybody comes in feeling in the exact physically mentally I was on the verge of wanting to quit in that moment it all seemed so impossible lay down again [Music] [Applause] [Music] Wow I can carry whatever to how to get some calories and I haven't even anything in life alas are ya need anything buddy cool new likes bite holes get out of here no have fun [Applause] I'm glad columns with him right now yeah comms I was gonna get him over that yeah I think if he was gonna drop it he would have dropped now there's no way he's gonna drop it so nice little disappointed and I had no expectations but right now it's just a finish that she's a cool he's a tough dude he's gonna get it [Music] for the moment and with each agonizing step I told myself just get to the top of the pass just get to the top [Music] mentally and physically getting to the top was one of the toughest things I've ever had to do and the climb nearly broke me so I can't tell you the satisfaction I felt when I finally reached the top i purged and wept tears of relief [Music] it was time to get back to my phone [Music] [Applause] [Music] yeah I mean the low points in a hundred mile race I guess I try and remind myself that this is the reason that I've signed up for this event was to be challenged to get to a point where I don't where it's not easy anymore where I don't feel like I'm gonna be able to finish maybe but then find something internal that you're able to overcome a challenge and remind myself that if I do that it's gonna be a whole lot more rewarding than if I just quit [Music] [Music] during the course of a hundred miles you go through so many swings and emotions so many highs and lows one minute you're contemplating quitting next thing you know you're crying back up the mountain and running down the other side with renewed vigor and enthusiasm with the singular focus of getting to that finish line [Music] I've quite often like am i running to trying to fit a square peg into a round hole I'm not built like a Kenyan running hasn't exactly come easy or natural to me but I am super passionate about the mountains and that's always inspired me to push myself against it and test myself against it and in particular when I've overcome the low moments is when I've gained the most satisfaction out of it [Music] it's my legs 40 more lives only 40 more months they get all your all the stuff there it crushed it it's not just that 100-mile race it's just not just one race it's it's a journey that you take it's it's a commitment that it usually takes a village it's not just here but people in your life and you're just a small piece in the thing this big puzzle and it really comes together why we put ourselves up to a challenge are they work for it something you're not gonna share if you if you're going to achieve it that day but when you do it's just extremely worth them [Music] [Music] [Music] the first time all day I released some small 50 if you like actually gonna really really finish this thing leave it to my core [Music] you can certainly go out it alone but I really believe that life is best when it's shared having my friends along for the journey is what truly makes the hundred mile race special when we're all older and no longer able to do this I picture us sitting around sharing these stories with each other laughing and chuckling when it's your time is a goal to leave a well-preserved body or do you really want to use it a body with stories that says you've pushed it and at times suffered and you sought its potential I can't speak for everyone's reasons for doing this I'm sure we're all motivated inspired by different things but what makes it special is that whatever the reason on this day and on this night we're all linked together and unified by this one thing this one journey that's a special bond [Music] my lady the infamous power line climb is our last good climb of the day the whole thing down [Music] [Music] yeah by with a little help of my friends man this is a hundred-mile secret gouda just ran in 15 hours though you wouldn't need that [Music] [Music] just enjoying the final miles of the level 100 with my boy awesome page there David daily to work buddy teamwork [Music] in the end I guess we all have our hundred different reasons for doing this but running 100 miles doesn't have to be your journey although I think we can agree that we can all benefit by stepping outside from what's familiar and comfortable just a bit for me the finish line one of my favorite places in the world gives you a little peek into the satisfaction of yourself now perhaps running 100 miles just connects us a little closer to who we once were in the past but how we spend our future obviously is entirely up to us each mile each step a new page written what do you want the remaining chapters of your life to be about [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music]

Channel: Billy Yang

Views: 1,904,748

Rating: 4.9320426 out of 5

Keywords: leadville 100, the why, billy yang films, anton krupicka, zach miller, ultramarathon, running 100 miles, magdalena boulet, derrick lytle, gu energy labs, nathan pack, sawatch range, hope pass

Id: 8YWyac1ZdsU

Length: 29min 44sec (1784 seconds)

Published: Thu Feb 01 2018