Ultra Endurance - How to Achieve It

Photo: Courtesy of Wellness Central

This ultraendurance athlete has earned accolades from everywhere, from Time magazine naming him one of the "Top 100 Most Influential People in the World," and Men's Fitness saying he just "might be the fittest man on the planet." And for good reason too. Following up feats such as swimming across the San Francisco Bay and running 350 miles without stopping, Dean Karnazes decided to run 50 marathons in 50 days -- and did it in 2006. His follow-up book to "Ultramarathon Man" is "50/50: Secrets I Learned Running 50 Marathons in 50 Days -- and How You Too Can Achieve Super Endurance!," which chronicles lessons he learned from the road. Some lessons we learned in an interview with Karnazes? He believes in the power of taking "baby steps" instead of getting caught up in "mileage markers and distance still left to cover," and doesn't believe stretching can help him prevent injuries, but does believe cross-training can. Read on to find out what he thinks makes someone an ultraendurance athlete and what fitness challenge he's rising to next.

That's Fit: Is doing an ultramarathon or other utlraendurance event a matter of training? If you can run a 10K or a marathon, do you just need to train longer and harder to do an ultramarathon?

Dean Karnazes: Physical training is only part of it. You also have to be mentally prepared. There is a race called the Western States One Day 100-Mile Endurance Run -- [which is] essentially 100 miles of wilderness trail running through the Sierra Nevada mountain range where they say that you run the first 50 miles with your legs, and the next 50 miles with your mind.

That's Fit: You've just completed your eighth Badwater Ultramarathon, the 135-mile race from Death Valley, the lowest elevation in North America, to the Mount Whitney Portal, the trailhead to the highest point in the contiguous U.S. What's next?

Karnazes: I could tell you, but I'd have to kill you. Joking aside, my next big challenge involves running a marathon in every country of the world within a one-year timeframe. There are 195 nations in total and I would invite others to join me along the way. This might be the viewpoint of a naïve runner, but I think the world could use something like this right now.

That's Fit: OK, time to spill: What do you eat on your big workout days?

Karnazes: That's the best part about working out all the time; you can basically eat whatever you'd like (laughter). On my hard training days, I typically consume 6,000 to 7,000 calories. My next book is going to be a diet book: "The Ultramarathon Man Diet." You just start running and you can eat anything you want (more laughter).

Although I consume a ton of calories, I still try to watch the types of foods I put in my body. I completely avoid trans fats, hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup, and try to choose minimally processed, all-natural or organic foods. My favorite pre-run meal is a cup of Greek-style yogurt (plain, no sugar added) with a chopped banana or some berries added and pine nuts mixed throughout. Post-run, wild Pacific salmon is my go-to food of choice. I found this terrific little company called Wild Planet that offers a broad range of great tasting sustainably caught seafood. My cabinets are filled with the stuff!