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From a kid in Iowa to an accomplished Adventure Racer in Charleston, Mark shares with us how he got here: "When I was in second grade,
my family moved to a rural neighborhood in small town Our assistance with chores was
required on a daily basis and even more so on the weekends.
The work did not seem to bother me, though, as I knew once it was
complete, we were free. We were
free to head to the woods. And
once we were free, we never walked - we ran. We ran to gather our friends, we
ran down the gravel road, we ran to the woods, and we ran to each and every
landmark so aptly appointed by a pack of kids unleashed for the afternoon. The
In these woods it was always a
race, unannounced, no gun, and no real finish line.
Through briars and mud and water, up hills, across fields, and over
fences – we always ran. And we always knew who would be first, who would run
in a pack, and who we would have to slow up or wait for.
But it didn’t matter, we didn’t care, there was never a winner and
never a loser. Running through these woods was
never an effort, never labored, and never part of a regimen set for a specific
goal. It was just running. It was never anything with weather considerations,
shoe choices, or Gu. We just ran, rain or shine, hot or cold, our bellies full
of PB&J, and our cheap Keds pounding the dirt.
We never concentrated on stride or pace; it was automatic, it was
fluid. We just ran. The only thing that slowed us down
was the setting sun and my dad’s wolf whistles calling us back to the house.
And the only thing that pulled us away from the long afternoons in the woods
was the passing of time. Second
grade turned to third, then fourth, then the woods got farther away – track
in fifth and sixth grade. Cinder
track races turned to cross country in parks and golf courses during Junior
High and High School. High School
turned to college, and my running in the woods disappeared altogether as other
priorities pushed to the forefront. I
didn’t just run anymore. Six years and 40 pounds later, and
I started to think about the woods again.
I started to crave the run again. I needed the run for my mental and
physical health. 5Ks started the
journey back to running, with 10Ks quickly following.
10Ks turned to 10 mile runs, which turned to half-marathons, which then
turned to a desire to run marathons. I
spent several years running marathons, with a slew of 5 and 10Ks backing up
the longer races. While this running was great – I lost the 40 pounds and
was in great shape – precious few took me back to the woods to just run. 5Ks through marathons were packed
to the gills with runners, most were on the road, and they didn’t provide
what I was looking for in running. The adventure of the run just wasn’t
there anymore. I started searching the web for something different, something
that provided the same feel as the runs through the woods.
It did not take long to stumble upon ultra races and the bug bit me
bad, but few of these races were close to my home at that time:
Where I am now: I
am entering my 4th year of running ultras, having finished 17 races
between 50K and 100K. In between
the races are a smattering of marathons and longer training runs, preferably
on the local and regional trails. There have also been two attempts at 100
miles, both ending before I reached 100. Ultras
run: RFH Big Butt races, RFH Fat Ass races,
Uwharrie Mountain Run, Umstead 100 mile (attempts), Hinson Lakes 24 Hour run,
Laurel Valley, Dark Side 8 hr Run, Foothills Trail Ultra, etc. Short-term
goals: Complete a 100 mile race. Introduce
biking and swimming into my workouts. Sign up for some of the regional
adventure races. Run the length of the Foothills Trail. Long-term
goals: Complete 100 miles in 24 hrs.
Complete a multi-day stage race like Desert R.A.T.S. in the southwest.
See how far I can ride a single-speed bike in 24hrs. See where the adventure
races lead me. 2007
Tentative Schedule: Jan: Alex’s Fat Ass 50K Jan: NC Fat Ass 50M
Feb:
March: Ellerbe Springs April: Umstead 100M April: Alex’s 24 hr Run May: ?? June: Boogie 50M July: RFH Big Butt 50K July: Grandfather Mountain Marathon August: Laurel Valley Trail Run ~35M August: Two-day run of Foothills Trail?
Sept:
Oct: Nov: JFK 50M Nov: Mountain Masochist 50M Dec: RFH Fat Ass 50K
Favorite
place(s) to run: Foothills and Palmetto
trails. Why
I run ultras: to get back to the woods, the
creeks; to run up and down the hills; to find that one run without effort…to
just run and experience the adventure of it all.
I think my time spent in the woods as a kid is where all this comes
from. So what’s next? I look forward to
diving into the adventure runs with CBC just as much as I
look forward to the coming year’s trail runs. It will be interesting to see
what these races are like and try out some new skills like orienteering. And
several new interests have taken hold: swimming has slowly crept back into my
field of interest, and I find myself pondering the Lowcountry Splash swim;
building my own kayak floats around in the back of head; and single-speed
bikes have a real grip on me now – I am impatiently waiting for a 2007 Jamis
Sputnik to become available. I am just sure there are enough hours in the day for all this. We’ll see…".
Mark Nowling
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In
June of 2003, I moved to 
