Why Would Anyone Want to Run 100 Miles?

“Why in the hell would you choose to do that?”

That’s a question I get a lot when the topic of my interest in endurance sports comes up in conversation.  Surprisingly, even after years of enjoying a triathlons, climbing big mountains, and running 50 and 100-milers through the Colorado backcountry, I still don’t have a satisfactory answer.

This recent article in the New Yorker does an excellent job presenting a few possible ideas as to why people decide to push themselves so hard and so far for “fun.”  I found the second half of the article to be more applicable than the first, but it’s a quick read, so check it out:

The Spiritual Life of the Long-Distance Runner

(Unfortunately, I still don’t have a solid, succinct answer to why I choose to put myself through some of this nonsense!)