What's it like to run 100km?

Okay, so you think running a marathon is tough? Well, how about running 100km, that’s a little over 62 miles in one chunk. On the eve of the 2008 IAU 100km World Cup in Italy spikesmag.com caught up with Briton’s 2006 world 100km champion Lizzy Hawker and asks what running 100km is all about.   

Okay, Lizzy, how did you start running (gulp) 100km?
LH: I just fell into long distance road running in 2005. I met some friends and they were running the Barry 40 [a 40-mile track race] and they suggested I enter. I’ve never done anything like that before and I’d not even run on the track since school sports days. My friends had entered, so it was an excuse to go and see them that weekend. I ran there and then I got invited to compete in the national 100km championships.

What is the motivation to run such distances?
LH: The endurance has been there from quite an early age. I always liked walking in the mountains and preferred to walk rather than to take a cable car. I guess it became natural for me being on my feet for long hours. It just became normal to run every day but I never joined a club or raced.

How many miles training a week do you do to prepare for 100km racing?
LH: I don’t know what mileage I do. It varies, sometimes I run twice or a day or sometimes once. Running that distance it is more about mental strength than physical strength.

The races last in the region of seven-and-a-half hours (when winning the world title she ran at a remarkable average mile pace of 7min 15sec). What do you eat and drink during a race?
LH: It varies. In Korea [at the 2006 World Championships] I drank some water, Ribena and Ice Tea. I’ve never tried the gels, so for me it is just normal things like chocolate, dried fruit, ginger biscuits and maybe a honey sandwich!

The races over 100km tend to be either run on a loop or from an A to B point do you have a preference?
LH: Psychologically, I like a journey, but saying that, the only 100kms that I’ve competed in have all been loops. For me, a journey is more logical.

What has been your worst 100km experience?
LH: I still haven’t really learned to push myself to the limit in a race. In Korea it was a really close call because they were only four seconds between me and the next athlete. I probably didn’t take on enough food and water in the early stages and I started to slow. It wasn’t until 100m or 200m from the end I glanced over my shoulder and realised she was right behind me, so we had a sprint finish after seven and a half hours of running! I can’t really say I’ve had a really bad experience.

What do you think about during the race? Is it hard to concentrate?
LH: Well you’d think that but the time just passes. I think if your mind is in the right frame set you can almost let it go sometimes... almost like a moving meditation. Other times you might concentrate more if you are trying to increase speed. The time passes a lot faster than you think.

You are not thinking about what you are going to eat for tea?
LH: I guess your mind goes on a bit of a journey sometimes.

Do you adopt certain techniques to improve your pain tolerance?
LH: It’s probably something that I do anyway, in a way. I do have quite a high pain tolerance threshold. It’s the same when I’m up in the mountains I get cold hands and feet but I get used to cutting off the pain.  

In the past you have worked as an oceanographer with the British Antarctic Survey. How did you fit in training?
LH: The last time I went to sea was a two-month research cruise straight after Korea. And it’s ironic because I get more seasick now than I did when I first went to sea 10 years ago. A friend and I bought the cheapest treadmill from Argos for about £90. We used to tie it down to the deck of a working ship... I never really managed to get it working properly. It was like running in treacle. It was tough.”