No sleep till Brooklynn...well almost

Tri-Geek Dreams touched on this breakthrough this morning. While I don't think it will get the attention of say Roger Bannister breaking the 4 minute mile, this is worth noting.

Pam Reed is the first person to break the three hundred mile run mark without sleep. She is a native of Tucson and has raced the Badwater Ultra-Marathon several times, winning it with a new womens record in 2002 and taking it again in 2003. At the 2004 Boston Marathon, Pam started early, ran the course backwards in 3:36 than turned around and turned in a 3:30 negative split running with the packs. At the 2004 Badwater she ran well but lost the overall to Dean Karnazes.


Pam Reed finishes 300 miles.

Last weekend I just finished reading Ultra-Marathon Man by Dean Karnazes. It is a great book about his longest runs. Also how he trains while juggling a family and without letting little things like thirty hour runs interfere with work and family. Dean has been the face of ultramarathons for a few years now with his compulsive late night runs and his flare to race. For example; he enters a 100 mile race by running to the race and timing it for the start gun. Even if you don't want to read the whole book the first chapter alone on his late night pizza run is hilarious. He is not only the ultra runner of the year for 2004, but one of GQ's sexiest men alive for the same year. He has great crossover appeal. Below is a picture of Dean in a heat suit, running Badwater. He found that by running on the white stripes he would not melt his shoes, one pair per hour from the heat.



Congratulations to Pam, she is a native of Tucson. She is a regular feature in local magazines. She has been a silent but powerful runner in the ultra marathon community. Silent only in the fact that she would rather run for the joy of running than to win a race distance that she is so supernaturally suited for. I have never met her but know that she likes to take her time in deciding to race but also makes quick decisions when she is confident in herself and has family support. She dosen't play them out in public.