Rob Krar and the unknown

One of the great things that I love about ultra running is the discovery of pushing your body and mind to places you have never been before and to places you sometimes aren't even sure you can go.  I feel like in most other sports by the time a competition comes there has been so much practice and repetition that you enter the game not worrying about if you will finish, but much more concerned with how you will perform.  However, with ultras, the distances can be so vast and the terrain and conditions so difficult that even veteran runners are often unsure if they will finish, let alone how well they will perform.  There is something magical to me about this act of discovery.  It is exciting to step to the line of a new race or new distance not knowing what to expect.  Another benefit of the fact that every race has an element of unknown is the fact that it leads to more competition and a more level playing field.  The unknown makes it hard for one individual to dominate the sport.  There are a number of elites that consistently perform well, but there are not really any "superstars" that are head and shoulders better than the competition.  A wonderful reminder of this discovery of the unknown happened just this weekend when Rob Krar, a man who had never run 100 miles before, got second place in the Western States 100 (the premier, and arguably one of the most competitive 100 milers in the world).  He had a strong running background and has done some amazing things, but never having attempted the distance before, was able to outrun many of the best runners in the world and ultimately discover what he was capable of.  There are not many sports where this could have happened.  Certainly not in most professional sports could a relatively unknown person who has never competed in that event before earn a podium spot at one of the biggest competitions.  It is this act of discovery where we push past what we know and begin to explore what is possible and the knowledge that each of us have some hidden potential that I really love about this sport.

Want to know more about Mr Krar?  Here is a good article over on iRunFar:
http://www.irunfar.com/2013/06/rob-krar-in-pursuit-of-speed-smarts-but-not-superstition.html