Free Republic

When you hear about an ultra in the state of Tennessee, it usually stirs up images of the famed Barkley Marathons. Though the state’s namesake ultra is the crown jewel of Gary “Lazarus Lake” Cantrell’s race series, extreme runners seek out the other challenges he offers once winter thaws out and southern heat moves into the Volunteer State. These include classics like Big’s Backyard and the Strolling Jim 40-miler. But only one race leaves state lines: The Vol State. With a 10-day cutoff, there’s a heavy emphasis on self-sufficiency. That doesn’t mean runners are on their own the entire race....

For a few long minutes, Camille Herron thought her life could end at any moment. Crumpled into a ball while hanging helplessly upside down, Herron was trapped inside of her car, which had flipped over after a rogue driver crashed into her. The driver was later charged. “I thought I was going to die from suffocation. I couldn’t breathe, and I was worried about the car setting on fire because I could smell oil and smoke,” Herron told Runner’s World. “It just smelled like something burning.” The ultrarunner, who recently set the 100-mile world record, was on her way to...

...Most of us think in terms of Nature vs. Nurture. We have genetic traits that give us something to work with, and the environment we live in shapes us. Scott Jurek adds a dimension: he’s an agent in his own life. His will is equal to or greater than the other forces, and the success he’s achieved, the records he’s set, the boundaries he’s pushed, have been all him. - See more at: http://www.claytonlindemuth.com/2013/09/21/eat-and-run-book-review/#sthash.CxJOT43m.dpuf

In 2005 Petty Officer First Class David Goggins’ life took a tragic turn. Several of his fellow U.S. Navy SEAL(s) were killed in a helicopter crash during a mission in Afghanistan. To honor them, Goggins vowed to raise money for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, which gives college scholarships and grants to the children of fallen special operations soldiers. Goggins rationalized that to raise money, he would have to do something extreme, something phenomenal— something incredibly painful. He decided to race ultramarathons when he Googled the 10 most difficult feats in the world. First on the list was the Badwater...

In 2005 Petty Officer First Class David Goggins’ life took a tragic turn. Several of his fellow U.S. Navy SEAL(s) were killed in a helicopter crash during a mission in Afghanistan. To honor them, Goggins vowed to raise money for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, which gives college scholarships and grants to the children of fallen special operations soldiers. Goggins rationalized that to raise money, he would have to do something extreme, something phenomenal— something incredibly painful. He decided to race ultramarathons when he Googled the 10 most difficult feats in the world. First on the list was the Badwater...

WASHINGTON, July 30, 2007 – A Navy SEAL recruiter went the extra mile – or extra 135 miles, to be exact – to reach athletes who may have the fitness and drive to make it through the notoriously difficult SEAL training course. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class David Goggins crosses Death Valley alongside French competitor Albert Vallee in the Badwater Ultramarathon. Photo by Seaman Michael Lindsey, USN  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class David Goggins, assigned to the Naval Special Warfare Recruiting Directorate in Coronado, Calif., competed in and finished third place in the...