Runner's World

JUNE 2018 RUNNERSWORLD.CO.UK 045

to think you could trace its origins

back through the mists of our family

through Cretan mountains and

remote island fishing ports way

back to the great Athenian empire

to the dawn of philosophy and

civilisation. Back in fact to the

original ultrarunners. To those

legendary long-distance messengers

such as Pheidippides.

As it turns out it’s actually a

Cherokee parable from Tennessee US.

An old man is teaching his

grandson about life. ‘A fight is going

on inside me’ he explains to the boy.

‘It is a terrible fight and it is between

two wolves. One is evil – he is anger

envy sorrow regret arrogance

self-pity resentment and ego. The

other is good – he is joy peace love

hope determination humility

fortitude compassion and truth.

‘The same fight is going on inside

you – and it’s going on inside every

other person too.’

The boy thinks about it for a

minute and then asks his grandfather

‘Which wolf will win?’

The old Cherokee smiles and

replies simply ‘The one you feed.’

And that’s the point of this really.

All this endless running. All the

wonderful people who enter all these

stupidly long races knowing they’ll

frequently fail to finish. All the pain

they suffer all the injuries the

failures. All the lost toenails.

But also the successes. The feeling

of having pushed yourself to the edge

of your limitations – and deciding not

to quit. To push on regardless. To

keep on running. The satisfaction of

helping a fellow runner in trouble;

the comfort of being helped. The

lifelong friendships formed. The

exhilaration of getting your body to

achieve the impossible. You break

yourself down like stripping an

engine yet emerge more whole.

Training for and achieving a

desired time can be enormously

rewarding. For ages my holy grail

was a marathon time starting with a

‘2’. Pulling that off remains one of my

proudest moments. But the journey

as a whole while satisfying and

eventful was never especially joyful.

Definitely not the training and not

many of the races either. Running

on the trail on the other hand...

I don’t much like the word

‘ultrarunning’ because it sounds

exclusive which is the opposite of

what it should be – and is. Endurance

running is inclusive and quietly

seems to make you a better version of

yourself. For me and so many of the

runners I’ve spoken to over the years

running long gives a powerful sense

of joy and serenity.

There’s the warm blanket of

community too. The generosity and

positivity of runners and volunteers

as well as supportive long-suffering

friends and family behind the scenes.

Out on the trail there’s the slow

accumulation of problems and the

even slower process of solving them

one by one. You’re in the moment. It

can be like therapy or an exorcism.

A journey of self-knowledge. You’re

feeling liberated from daily life but

you’re also taking control escaping

into a more simple world.

I’m a father to three terrific

children. When each of them came

into the world I experienced a deep

sense of contentment that stuck

around for weeks. It seemed like

everything was going to be OK

and that nothing could burst my

private bubble of joy.

When I finished my first 100-mile

race I felt that same elation. For a

month I told everyone who’d listen

how amazing it is to run 100 miles in

one go. How they should try it.

And so they should. I know it

sounds like a long way and of course

it is. If you’d told me five years ago

that I’d be running these silly

distances I simply wouldn’t have

believed you. But it comes in stages.

First-ever run then first 5K 10K

half-marathon marathon...and

anything beyond is an ultra. Just

build it up slowly.

Reaching the finishing line is

exquisite. Life-affirming and

renewing. But the journey can be

so very tough and the urge to stop

almost overwhelming. So why do

we put ourselves through it? Simple

really. We’re feeding the good wolf.

Opening spread:

Vassos Alexander

on the Dragon’s

Back Wales

1. The happy
   ultrarunner


2. Vassos and
   running pal Nick


3. Vassos
   touches the
   statue of Spartan
   warrior king
   Leonidas at the
   end of the
   Spartathlon


4. The start
   of the 2017
   Spartathlon


5. Par for
   the course


6. Vassos
   with his very
   understanding
   family

THE LONG WAY

PHOTOGRAPHS: IAN CORLESS (OPENER) ALAMY ST

UART MARCH PHOTOGRAPHY VASSOS ALEXANDER

SPARTA PHOTOGRAPHY CLUB

4

56 7