Runners

Withloopthreeinthebag,thewearisstartingtoshow,andtheirappetiteshavebeendestroyed.AmemberofKelly’s team wedges a slice of pepperoni pizza into hismouthashestartsthenextloop.Loop four is where the Barkley turns fromcollaborative endeavour into a competition. Whoeverfinishesloopfourandgetsoutofcampfirstcanchoosetheir direction for loop five, at which point the runnersareforcedtosplitup,withonerunningclockwiseandthe other counterclockwise. Clockwise is seen as theslightly easier direction. “John can’t outrun Gary, buthe knows the course better,” Laz muses. “Maybe he’lltakeatacticalbreakandletGarygooffbyhimself,hoping he gets lost.”``````Laz doesn’trunanymore.After160000km,hislegsgaveuponhim.Nowretiredfromhisaccountingjob,heconcentratesondirectingracesandbeingatricksterfigureto the ultra-running community, which has grown andchangedenormouslysincethe1970s.Ultra-runnerstodaylike their races to be run in spectacular landscapes, with``````plenty of aid stations, communal optimism, and high-fives.“It’s much slower now,” says Laz. “Originally, everyonewho ran was serious and competitive. Now people just doit to do it.” Unsurprisingly, Laz also frowns on the use ofpacers, earbuds, and most conventional running advice.“Starting out ‘too fast’ has become a lost art,” Lazwrote in one of his occasional columns for UltraRunningmagazine. “It has come to be defined as an error ratherthan a crucial part of a runner’s signature performance...The thrill of achieving a result that seemed beyond reachis greater than the thrill of merely surviving.”``````At 12:05am on Monday, two lights are seen on the hill.Robbins and Kelly run in hard and slam their hands onthe yellow gate. They both look awful, though Kelly looksweaker. Falling into his camp chair, he f linches every timehis feet are touched. After 12 minutes, it’s Kelly who getsunsteadily to his feet and touches the gate to signal he isstarting loop five. He chooses what’s thought to be theeasier direction, clockwise, and hobbles off up the trail.Eleven minutes later, Robbins comes out of his tent62 RUNNER’S WORLD JULY 2018