Going the distance — and then some
AFTER NINE YEARS of running marathons, Glenn Butcher hit a wall. The seasoned racer felt burnt out from endless miles and qualifiers, and the constant training for the speed required of competitive marathoners had left him with nagging injuries.So, to get his groove back, Butcher decided—oddly enough—to take up ultramarathoning.
He ran his first 50-kilometre (31-mile) race, the Long Island Greenbelt Trail 50, in 2003. On the course, he allowed himself to slow down and enjoy the scenery. “Once I did that, I really fell in love with it,” says Butcher, 44. He’s run five ultras since, including the Viaduct Trail Ultramarathon in Pennsylvania last year, a 100-miler that lasted nearly 24 hours…
