Changes

If you want to know "how far can I go?" a 24 hour race is an ideal place to find out. Eventually the reasons to stop become greater than the reasons to keep going, and movement ceases. Different people will stop for different reasons, but they can all push the boundaries of their mental and physical capabilities. ("[[Mental fortitude ]] is more important than physical endurance", but that's another blog entry!) Some people will go until they can't go any more and stop. Others will take breaks to increase their distance, some for a few minutes, some lying down to sleep for a few hours. This makes a 24 hour race a great place for a first time ultra runner. There is no fixed distance that has to be conquered, no possibility of 'failure'. My friend Vince did his first ultra at HL24 this year and covered an outstanding 100K. In his own words "This was a fun race, kind of the gateway drug to Ultras. There were people of all ages (7 to 72) and abilities, each with different goals. Everyone was encouraging and friendly and there was no pressure."

For a few, there is the prospect of pushing the boundaries of the 24 hour limit and cranking out lots of miles. See [[24 Hour Races]] for tips and advice on running big miles.