journal 5 from Zach Smith

Shows all different kinds of runners participating in a Ultra Marathon

Ultra Marathoning is a subculture that has been drawing people to it for 150 years.  Being in 1867, when Edward Payson Weston walked 1,132 miles from Portland, Maine to Chicago, winning a prize of $10,000.  Ultra Marathoning is any running event exceeds the marathon distance of 26.2 miles.  These types of events have been going on for years, for many reasons and purposes.  To raise money for charity, to bring attention to a cause, to make someone famous, are all reasons people over the years have participated in this subculture.  No matter what the purpose for the run, the result for most is a sense of pride in accomplishing something few can do or want to do.  It is a culture that starts with the desire or need to run more than a few miles but to push their bodies to the upper limits and beyond what their legs, lungs, and heart can normally handle.  The biggest reason for participation in this subculture is the need and desire to achieve a high level of personal accomplishment.  Fame might come to a few after achieving the goal of an ultramarathon race, but most that participate in this culture do it quietly and without attention while training.  Running longer distances and training more hours than a marathoner, working a lower paying job so they can focus more of their time on training are things that make those that participate in ultramarathoning, want to participate in this subculture. To set a time and distance that someone else might not have done.  To raise awareness to a cause or function while achieving this goal, is even a greater accomplishment and fame for these people.  Fame might come to a few in this sub culture but fortune is not one of the factors.  This subculture exists to push someone harder and further than they thought possible.
Link: https://ultrarunning.com/featured/ultramarathoning-a-dying-sport/