In his article, Mental Toughness, Dr. Lieberman, psychologist, provides a framework as well as an introduction into understanding the various components that addresses perseverance, persistence, success, and overcoming barriers. His principles can be applied and utilized by the non-athlete as well in order to assist in accomplishing the unthinkable in order to reach one’s potential.

Dr. Frank Lieberman was one of four individuals to have completed the Tevis Cup (100 mile endurance ride), the Swanton Pacific 100 mile Ride and Tie, and the Western States 100 mile ultra run and was the only one in his 60s to have completed these one-day events. His first book “It Has Nothing To Do With Age” illustrates his transformation into becoming an ultra-athlete as well as profiling seven other unique male and female competitors.

Over the past 15 years, I have competed in many different and unique ultra events: the Swanton Pacific 100-mile Ride and Tie, the Tevis Cup (a 100-mile horse race), the Western States 100-mile run. During these experiences, I have encountered male and female athletes who I considered mentally tough. My Western States training partner,

Linda, is the one I’d like to be in a foxhole with. There are some individuals who just seem to be able to tough it out with persistence and perseverance in spite of unforgiving circumstances or conditions.

I believe the following motivational or psychological principles contribute to mental toughness. These principles, I believe, allowed these remarkable athletes to be successful when competing. In this case, the sum of the parts is equal to – or greater than – the whole.

The framework of my performance model is essentially cognitive in nature. This means that the operational process that takes place is located in the space between our ears–it is our brain and thinking patterns that are important and that determine either success or failure.

Principle 1: Setting Goals

The goal must be concrete and easily defined (e.g., running the Western States 100 with its completion time limit). One either makes the cut-offs and gets a completion or doesn’t and gets pulled from the race. The goal must be realistic or attainable and under your own control or skill level (only you can complete the Western states; being carried across the finish line by your pacer in Auburn, CA would be DNF). The goal must have value that can be either positive or negative to the athlete and which does not leave room for ambivalence. The goal must fulfill some need within the individual’s personality. If and when these conditions are met, there is a greater likelihood of persistence and intensity related to accomplishing the goal. If, for example, the goal is to complete the Western States 100, and it is based on a belief that this accomplishment will result in great personal satisfaction or in satisfying or boosting self-esteem, mastery or status, that increases the likelihood that perseverance and goal behavior will be strong. Setting goals and expectations about goals are related to the future, which is very important and necessary for healthy living.

The lesson? Choose your goals wisely and make sure they are important to you.

Principle 2: Level of Aspiration or Expectancy

Simply put, one’s level of aspiration is related to feelings of pleasantness/success and unpleasantness/feelings of failure, and are derived based on one’s perception of behavior or performance. As a rule, success in meeting a goal generally raises the level of aspiration, and conversely, failure lowers one’s level of aspiration. In other words, one’s level of aspiration or expectations is based on probability and is influenced by the value of the goal, previous history and experience, as well as one’s feelings and thoughts about it. Returning to our Western States example, I expected to complete the Western States; therefore, my expectations were based on the amount of success experiences. These success experiences, in my case, were based on a number of ride and ties, one marathon, one 50 km, and a 50-mile Jed Smith qualifier. Also important to me was having clear and identifiable thoughts and feelings about the event along with the probability of my success.

Principle 3: Success History

Achieving successful goals is very important to this principle because it is based upon receiving rewards or reinforcements. Some rewards are immediate while others are more long-term. When I completed my first 50-miler, I received immediately my qualifying award. I instantly was satisfied, thrilled and very proud of my achievement. As far as running competitions is concerned, the higher the ratio of success experiences versus failure experiences leads to increased probability of success. Success can be defined in many ways: success could be completing the race without injury, it could be completing the distance within a certain time period, or it could be finishing it faster than John Doe. Ultimately, success is defined by one’s own perception or belief. An erratic or uneven success-to-failure ratio can lead to setting expectations either too high, unrealistic or therefore not attainable, or too low – and thus the individual is not able to feel good about completion (perceived lack of achievement). Michelangelo was once quoted as saying, “The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim to high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.”

Principle 4: Reframing

Reframing is simply replacing a word or idea with one that has a more positive connotation. Let me emphasize, the change has to be positive and uplifting. For instance, when I ran Western States and arrived at the aid station at Robinson Flat, I said, “I just completed one marathon” and “I covered that distance fast.” I didn’t focus on the fact that I had three more to go, or that now I had to deal with the heat and the difficult canyons coming up. I didn’t allow my thinking to place negativity or barriers in my mind. Another example of reframing my thinking was when I approached such difficult climbs as Goat Hill on the Way Too Cool 50km, or Devil’s Thumb on Western States. On those hills or climbs I told myself: “The hills are my friend.” I do not have the word “pain” in my vocabulary. Instead, I use the word “discomfort” when it comes to physical injury. Pay attention to your internal thoughts and be ready to reframe when necessary. Adjust your mental state or attitude by challenging and changing how you think. Remember Epictetus’s words: “Nothing is good or bad, thinking makes it so.”

Challenge irrational ideas by replacing them with positive thinking. This is necessary for whatever sport or activity you do. If you allow negative thoughts to “run” your life, you are on a road headed for disaster. Challenge and confront negative, irrational or self-defeating ideas by employing positive self talk and affirmations or mantras.

During Western States and my other ultras , I challenged the “I can’t” and instead inserted “I can”; I reminded myself to “put one foot in front of the other” over and over in order to continue under grueling circumstances. Change the “I do not feel like running today” into “I recognize that I will likely feel good or better after my run” or “Running is good for me” or “My feelings are likely to change during the run.” Get off the couch, and as Nike says, “Just do it.”

Principle 5 is Need Achievement

The need or desire to achieve, accomplish, and succeed with your goal is important, and related to and encompasses competitiveness (we can compete against self or against another). I had a will to complete the Western States 100. For me, that meant I engaged in activities (training runs in the hills or canyons, running at night on the Western States trail, running competitions, training in the heat, experimenting with different foods and hydration products, talking with and reading materials from other competitors, etc.) that were instrumental in goal attainment. My planning was serious, because I knew that I would have an emotional response upon my success or failure. There are different degrees and variances when it comes to both competitiveness and achievement; we do not put in the same effort, training or persistence to everything that we do.

I spend more time running than I do kayaking. This means that my need for achievement is greater for running than it is for kayaking. So, the more important the goal attainment, the greater the drive. For some, it is like a ripple effect: the more success we have achieving our goal, the more we want to achieve. Find your niche and use your competitiveness to your advantage. Successful accomplishment has been classified as a secondary drive; it is learned, and is certainly a significant component of the capitalistic, industrial and sport culture in our country. Look at the achievement, perseverance and persistence by this year’s athletes at the Summer Olympic Games in London. Did you witness the celebrations by the US women’s soccer and US men’s basketball teams when they beat Japan and Spain to win the gold? Find your need to achieve and go for the gold.

Principle 6: Affiliation

Connection is principle six and is important for both giving and receiving nurture and support. Being human and connected are important for well-being. Running with a group, club or friends (faster or slower) can be helpful in a number of ways. One generally does better with positive emotional support as well as being able to compare or compete with someone else (training techniques, education, information) than being totally isolated and on one’s own. How many Olympians train without a coach? How many times do you laugh out loud when you’re running by yourself compared with running with a friend?

Principle 7:  Mindfulness

This means being in the present and being able to correctly label how you feel during your running. One way to do this is to pay attention to your breathing and scan your body for tightness, stiffness or discomfort. Start by scanning from the top of your head and work down your body to your toes while running. For instance, during my Western States run, I noticed my fingers and arms were tight and uncomfortable because of the manner in which I was holding my water bottles. I immediately focused on my breathing and worked on relaxing my fingers and arms in order to remove the tension. It works. You’ve heard the expression, “Run how you feel.” Chances are, if you feel good, you’re probably running well; and if you’re running well, you’re probably feeling good too.

When incorporating mindfulness, focus on your breathing; and if you’re familiar with yoga, utilize those principles as well. The more relaxed you are, the more aware you become of everything around you. Deep breathing and relaxation is good; body or limb tension is not. Relax – and enjoy.

Priniple 8: Being Future Oriented

This principle stresses direction in your life. I think of my running events as trainings so that I always have a future goal. In the short term, when I was running in the Western States (especially upon reaching Last Chance), I thought about running to the next tree, the next aid station or the next canyon. Having short-term, attainable goals or breaking up an ultra run into components can assist in achieving a more long-term goal. Planning ahead and thinking about the future – it works.

Principle 9: Finding Meaning and Passion

Find meaning and passion in what you are doing. Know why you’re doing what you’re doing; your reasons are important clues in understanding who you are and what your life is about. Having meaning in your activity translates into actually experiencing life firsthand, in flesh and blood. The more meaning and passion I have about my activity, the stronger my drive, energy and determination. With more drive and determination, the probability for success increases. In essence, meaning and passion allowed me to run 100 miles, overcome barriers, and strive to become the best I can be.

Use your brain to your advantage by incorporating these principles into your lifestyle – I guarantee you success in whatever you do. I’m not saying it’s easy; but why not apply these principles to your daily activities and see what happens?

Dr. Lieberman recently lectured at the Chautauqua Institute, UC Davis Cardiology Rehabilitation Department, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and Fleet Feet Running Camp.

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In four years, Ferg Hawke went from fat to fit to famous. He’s renown for his epic 2nd place finishes at Badwater, a record-breaking finish at the Marathon De Sables and has competed in hundreds of races including Western States and other international races. Now, after a few years off, he’s coming back better than before.

In 1987 Ferg Hawke was 30, overweight and according to his doctor, on the road to destruction with “dangerously high blood pressure.” He was prescribed blood pressure medication and informed that he was at high risk for heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Hawke threw the prescription out and started running to bring his weight down.

To say that Hawke jumped into an exercise program is an understatement. Two years later and 40 pounds lighter, Hawke ran the Vancouver Sun Run 10K in April of 1989 and then completed his first marathon and sprint triathlon in May and June respectively before competing in his first Olympic distance triathlon in July and then the Ironman Canada in August.

“After finishing Ironman Canada and swore I’d never do another Ironman but my time was good enough to qualify for the Hawaii Ironman in Kona,” Hawke said.

It took a few friends and a few beers to convince him to go to Kona which ultimately kick-started a career in Ironman races.  Hawke went on to complete in six Ironman races including a personal best—a 27^th place finish at IMC in a time of 9:27 with a 3:01 marathon. Other triathlon highlights during this time included competing at the Triathlon World Championships in Surfers Paradise Australia as a member of the Canadian national team and a 3^rd place finish at the Ultraman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii.

Today, however, Hawke is known more as an ultra runner than a triathlete. Before his two children were school age, Hawke was working for Air Canada and this shift prevented him from training appropriately for triathlons. He decided to focus on running because he could always squeeze in a run at night or with the kids piled into the double baby jogger.

Fate Becomes an Ultra Runner

In March 1995, a friend invited him to run a 50K, but the race was only a week away.  “Well once I finished laughing I gratefully declined his kind offer and wished him luck,” Hawke said.

Something about running 50K in the mountains sounded intriguing, however, and although he wasn’t prepared for race that long Hawke called his friend back, accepted his offer, and went with him to the Chuckanut Mountain 50K about an hour’s drive south in Washington state.

To Hawke’s amazement, he won the race.

“Let me be clear, this wasn’t the star studded track meet like today’s Chuckanut Mountain 50K with the likes of Geoff Roes, Hal Koerner, Scott Jurek, etc., but hey I won!” Hawke explained.

It was a miserable day with snow on the higher elevations of the race and pouring rain at sea level. Hawke arrived back to where the race started and just stopped at what he thought was the finish line. There wasn’t a person in site until a guy opened a car door yelled, “What’s your name?”  The man wrote something on his clipboard, said, “Good job,” and slammed the car door.

So while that wasn’t the typical finish with race tape and cheering fans, Hawke still thought “how exciting!” He fell in love with the sport of trail running and entered another 50K and a 50-miler that summer. Within a few years he ran a couple of 100-milers including Western States and traveled to the Netherlands for the 100K World Championships.

Going Further: The Marathon de Sables

“I read an article about this crazy run in the Sahara called The Marathon de Sables (MDS) in Morocco and thought that would be such an incredible adventure.”

What Hawke discovered about himself was that the longer, hotter, and tougher the race was, the better he performed. What better place to test this theory, he thought. He gathered a bunch of his running buddies together at the local coffee shop and pitched his idea to run the MDS. “I actually managed to convince two of them that running 150 miles across the Sahara Desert with a week’s worth of food and gear on our backs was a good idea and the three of us entered as a team,” he said.

Hawke ran through the first four stages of the MDS in incredibly tough conditions with high winds causing blinding sand storms. When Hawke began the 50-mile ultra stage he was in 12^th place but things were only about to worse as athletes fought through the worst sand storms in the event’s 17-year history with winds gusting to 50 mph and almost zero visibility. The Moroccan sand dunes, which athletes had to traverse after the 50-mile ultra stage were 20 miles across with a checkpoint half way at mile 10 and another at the far side. As he was running, Hawke couldn’t see anyone ahead or behind him. The blowing sand covered footprints within seconds making navigation very difficult. Relying on his compass, Hawke made it to the first checkpoint but when he made it to what he thought was the other side of the dunes, there was no checkpoint.

Hawke wandered around in all directions searching for the checkpoint for what seemed like an hour.  He was down to his last water ration when he heard the race helicopter hovering off to his left and ran in that direction straight to the final checkpoint before the finish of the second stage. He continued on to stages three and four, and ran hard the last eight miles of stage four on a dry lake bed. It was getting dark and he removed his sunglasses so he could see the course markers, but the winds were blowing sands that ultimately got lodged in Hawke’s eyes.  When he crossed the finish  line at this stage he was in 7^th place but was practically blinded and had to be escorted to the medic’s tent where medical personnel took over an hour to rinse the sand out of his eyes. The doctors told him he had lacerated his corneas. “The doctors taped gauze over his eyes and instructed me to leave it on until the marathon stage in two days time,” Hawke said.

Fortunately, Hawke’s eyes healed enough for him to run the final two stages finishing in 8^th overall, which was not only the first time a North American athlete had finished in the top ten at the Marathon de Sables but it was also the highest placing by a North American in the 26-year history of the race until Mike Wardian’s incredible 3^th finish in 2011.

Badwater

In 2004 Hawke entered Badwater, and while it was on his “to do list” he had trepidations about doing it. The Sahara was hot, but the Marathon de Sable is held in April so it never really got hotter than 100°F. At Badwater, temperatures in the summer heat in Death Valley in July could range anywhere from 120°F to 130°F.

Ferg Finishes Badwater

“I knew that even more than focusing on hill training to prepare for the more than 13,000 feet of elevation gain I would need to come up with a plan to ready myself for the heat,” he said.  To do this Hawke developed a two-pronged heat training strategy. First, he built a sauna big enough to fit his treadmill inside. Second he travelled from his home in the Pacific Northwest to Death Valley to train on the course in the heat.

Hawke began his sauna training at the beginning of May, 10 weeks before the race, starting with daily one hour sessions with the temperature at 110°F. Over time, he increased his sauna runs to two hours at temperatures up to 140°F. At the end of May, Hawke drove to Death Valley and spent a week completing two or three training sessions each day in the heat. The temperature reached 118°F during the day and dropped to the low 90s at night. He purposely left the air conditioning off in his car and slept on an air mattress in the desert for seven days. During that week he logged over 140 miles including a 50-mile run through Death Valley in the heat of the day finishing with a 5,000-foot climb up to Towns Pass.

After his week at Death Valley he drove to the Grand Canyon and ran 48 miles rim to rim in the heat. “I felt that ‘Death Camp,’ as I aptly named it, was a huge success. Not only from a conditioning and heat training aspect, but I was unquestionably better prepared psychologically as my confidence grew after surviving the heat of Death Valley on the very same roads that I would be suffering on a during Badwater,” he added.

Badwater has three start times. This spreads the athlete’s and crew out on the course so the public highway is not too congested. The 6:00 a.m. group is reserved for what the race director, Chris

Kostman, would consider to be the slowest group. Hawke was in the 8:00 a.m. for the middle of the pack runners and his pre-race strategy was to push the pace early while it was a relatively cool 100°F, then ease off and try to survive the hottest part of the day from Furnace Creek to Stove Pipe Wells. He hoped his months of 100-plus mile training weeks and mega hours running in the sauna was enough to get him to the finish. His strategy worked well, and he passed everyone from the 6:00 a.m. group by the 40-mile mark and held off all the 10:00 a.m. elite starters all the way through the race to the finish line. It was an amazing feeling to be the first athlete to cross the finish line but this didn’t mean he won the race. He now had to wait to see how many of the 10:00 a.m. starters would cross the line within the two hour time difference. Dean Karnazes crossed the line to claim the overall victory and Hawke’s time of 27:30 was good enough for 2nd place. “Going into the race I felt if everything went well I had a shot at a top 10 finish. Second place, and only seven and a half minutes slower than ultra-marathon legend Dean Karnazes was the closest finish in the history of the race and beyond my wildest dreams,” he said.

But that seven and a half minutes needled at Hawke to the point where he signed up to do the race again in 2005.

In his second attempt to finish Badwater, documented in the film, The Distance of Truth, Hawke shaved a whopping 57 minutes off his 2004 time finishing in 26:33, but the win still evaded him. Scott Jurek, who had been having severe complications in the heat fought hard and caught Hawke on the mountain. The two would pass each other twice during the night and ultimately Scott won the race knocking 33 minutes off the course record finishing in under 25 hours.

Hawke ran Badwater again in 2006 finishing in 4^th place and then went on a hiatus to renovate his home. He put some of the weight back over a couple of years but then started to regain his fitness. In 2011, Hawke joined Canadian ultra marathoner Ray Zahab in Bolivia and ran over 200 kilometers as a guide on one of Zahab’s youth expeditions. Hawke enjoyed the experience so much he joined Ray in  India where they ran 280 kilometers across the Thar Desert.

For more information on Ray Zahab’s running expeditions, visit www.impossible2possible.com.

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Badwater. If you are unfamiliar with this 135-mile race through Death Valley, you won’t be by the time you are done with this issue.
I had the extreme pleasure of working with some very big celebrities in the ultra running community to get this issue completed. Let’s see, I interviewed Frank McKinney over the phone in my office, David Carver over the phone while I was in the Jacksonville airport, David Green over Skype, Scott D’Angelo via phone while I was running around doing errands and Chris Roman over the phone over several phone calls. I even caught Chris and Dave Green’s coach, Ray Zahab while he was sitting in a plane at Washington Dulles Airport on the way to see Ferg Hawke, who has been joining Ray recently on some of his global expeditions. I must say, working with Ferg was an unintended surprise, for his story is the main feature in this issue. Mike Morton, Sergio Radovcic, and Brad Lombardi also provided me excellent content by email and I am forever thankful to them for their attention to detail.
I do owe a special thanks to Chris, who I met via Facebook last year. At the time I interviewed him for a story in Runners Illustrated where I reported on his run along the Caminho Da Fe which he completed after his first time crewing for Badwater. Since then we’ve talked numerous times, including for about an hour as a I sat in a Whole Foods parking lot and he sold me on doing an issue about all the great guys from Florida who are competing in Badwater this year. I really thought Badwater and all the reporting on it had dried up (pun intended), but now I am more
enamored by these athletes than ever before.
This issue would not have been possible without contributions from other athletes/writers as well. I am thrilled to reprint a story on nutrition written by Meredith Terranova, an ultra athlete who wrote great piece on nutrition for Badwater.
The best part about preparing for this issue was meeting Chris Roman and Jennifer Vogel in per-son. On a trip I took to Florida in March, Jennifer and I sat down and talked for an hour about nu-trition and that being a triathlete makes her a better endurance runner. She’s just like Ferg Hawke, Scott D’Angelo and David Green, for example, who where were triathletes before they became ultra runners. That athletic base has been important in their ability to use their over all physical fitness and mental training as assets in endurance races. Both Scott and David will test these assets for the first time this summer, like Jennifer did last year—with MUCH success, I might add. Jennifer came in 8th overall and was the 2nd place female!
I owe a ton of gratitude to Lisa Batchen-Smith. I am extremely fortunate because Lisa provided the Coaches Corner column this issue and her experience I can guarantee, will get any athlete to the finish line at Badwater.
Thank you to everyone and especially my editor, Renee Dexter!

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I want to personally thank everyone who contributed, and to give a shout out to Chris Kostman for putting on an epic race, year after year. This year there’s a real race brewing among the men. It’s the race to watch this summer.

Check out this issue; you’ll be glad you did!

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“I’m not a runner, I’m an athlete,” Jen told me. “Being a triathlete has helped me be a better ultra runner.”
2011 was a signature year for Jen. She not only placed 2nd place in the Tampa Double Iron, she came in top eight (2nd female overall) at Badwater. She went on to win the Tampa Triathlon, also an Iron distance.
“I’m interested in going fast,” she said. “I have the make up for these races but the multi sports I do help round me.”
Jen does yoga several times a week. The yoga, she says helps balance her. It keeps her core strong while offering a relaxing way to exercise without impact.
When it comes to eating, she’s adamant that she eats whole foods and doesn’t use supplements.
“I don’t get supplements,” she said. “I mean, who is to say that if you eat blueberry extract, that this is better than eating the whole berry, when in that form it’s probably got everything you need.”
This year, Vogel will crew for Scott D’Angelo (she’s also his coach), who crewed for her last year. When I asked about why she’s not competing this year, her answer was simple. “This is my year to support Scott,” she said. “He was there for me last year and I’m going to be there for him this year.”
Read Vogel’s blog post on the 2011 Badwater at http://jenvogel.wordpress.com/category/badwater-crew/.

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D’Angelo is a five-time Ironman finisher who started running ultras in 2009. Since then he has completed over 15 ultras and has crewed for Jennifer Vogel, Lane Vogel and Mimi Anderson.  For D’Angelo, now is the time to do Badwater. He’s ready.

But Death Valley was not always on his bucket list. “Badwater wasn’t even on my radar,” D’Angelo said, “not like Iron distance triathlons were.”

Preparing for Badwater became a matter of experience. In 2011, D’Angelo ran three long endurances races, the 100-mile Canadian Death Race, The Laramie 100, the Palm 100K, and the Peanut Island 24 Hour which is 102 miles.

He also completed one of the Racing the Planet series in Nepal in 2011. The race was a 150-mile stage race much like Marathon de Sables in Morocco. There, he tented with Marshall Ulrich, who has run Badwater 20 times. It was there that D’Angelo learned about Ulrich’s attempt to circumvent Death Valley this summer, and those aspirations were inspiring to D’Angelo.

D’Angelo feels he’s prepared for Badwater and his endurance running general, and his attitude is that he’s naturally built for these types of adventure/endurance races. He recently ran from Boca Raton to Jacksonville, completing did this 300-mile jaunt in six days to prove to himself he could be self-sufficient.

And, with renown endurance athlete Jennifer Vogel as his coach and one his crew, he’ll do just fine.

When D’Angelo is not doing a triathlon, running, rock climbing, surfing, or doing another type of sport, he’s potentially saving lives.  He lives in Delray Beach Florida and has worked for the past 21 years as a firefighter. Scott recently opened The Dog House Performance Cycling Center in Boca Raton, FL.

D’Angelo is also supports MILA, a product he takes in his training. Learn more about MILA and buy a bag for yourself. Click: http://runnersillustrated.fueledbymila.net/

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This year , 99 people from 16 countries, 2 Canadian provinces and 19 American states will line up at the starting line on July 16, 2012.  Competitors range in age from 30 to 70 and half of them are running Badwater for the first time. Of those returning, some are looking to win while others want to improve their time. The thing about Badwater, is that you don’t know what will happen to you during the race, and that is part of the intrigue.

A special thanks goes to Chris Kostman and his tireless race staff for putting on such an epic race.

Commentary

If you woke up this morning and thought you might want to run the Badwater 135 desert this year, think again.

To qualify for Badwater, you need to have three 100-mile races under your belt or a combination of other races and a really convincing race

application.

You also need a plan, a few bucks, and a crew that will support you unconditionally.   You’ll run in temperatures up to 130°F, traverse mountain passes in the middle of the night, hell, you might even hallucinate.  But if you feel the need to run for 24 plus hours straight or until the 60-hour cut off without sleep, don’t mind losing a few toenails or having your feet double in size due to swelling and don’t mind ice baths, then Badwater may be for you!

This year 99 brave souls will stand at the starting line. A whole slew of men from Florida happen to be competing this year, and I’ve covered almost all of them in this issue. All but two of them are first timers, and of the eight I profiled, a couple of them, one veteran and one newbie are looking for top 10 finishes.

Mike Morton, Chris Roman, Scott D’Angelo, Dave Carver, Dave Green, Brad Lombardi, Sergio Radovcic and Frank McKinney you may know because they are well-known either in their profession as athletes or whatever they do outside of running. Some of you may know these guys as successful business tycoons, triathletes, or as regular Joes. What makes them all unique goes down to their DNA. All of them possess the genes for drive, motivation, perseverance, stubbornness, quality, integrity, motivation, and in the words of Frank McKinney, a desire for “relentless forward motion.

What some may see as a selfish endeavor to do something great for their individual selves, these men are loving, kind, and inspirational.  They use ultra running to give back to mankind or their fellow brethren. Some do run to race a good race, but not without wanting to share what they do with others.

Each man, as they say, has a destiny. Badwater, because of the salt and heat, will cleanse you both mentally, spiritually, and physically, while it humbles you. It is that feeling that will motivate these men to go to the desert and strip themselves of everything, because in the end, we all get to see their true selves unveiled in the spirit of long distance running. What they don’t know can affect their race as much as what they do know.

It is through endurance racing that an athlete can try to conquer nature while accepting that they can be defeated by it. And what is more fascinating is the endless, enduring dedication of their support crews, who, for a small period time, give everything of themselves in their devoted desire to get their athlete to the finish line. It actually makes me emotional to write this.

When it comes to Badwater, Frank McKinney sums it up this way:

“Here is this group of very normal people who are part of the Badwater culture. There is a culture that transcends the race, that desire to become primal, to push one’s limits and to test one’s self against the environment,” he said.

This couldn’t be more on point.

Alix Shutello is the publisher of Endurance Racing Magazine.

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Green become an endurance athlete for two reasons. He had significant knee issues after running five marathons after his 20s. In fact, because of his knee issues he became a tri athlete and began competing in sprint triathlons before moving up to Iron distance races.

After graduating from Columbia University with a Computer Science/Economics degree, he worked on Wall Street and then founded GreenTrak which was ultimately acquired by Advent Software in 2001. Subsequently he was a founder of Ironmen LLC, a private equity firm in Jacksonville, Florida.

While he enjoyed success as a triathlete, his business endeavors would change his training schedule.  He launched 110% Play Harder in 2010, which features a line of compression and ice performance apparel. Green’s travel schedule made training for triathlons difficult so he switched to just running.  He trains at the events he goes to in order to get mileage in.

“I typically go work marathon expos for 110%, so to get my weekly mileage in, I’ll run from my hotel to the race, run the marathon, run back to the hotel, and then hop on a plane and fly home,” he said.

Green incorporates his training into his corporate lifestyle; often getting up at 4:00 or 5:00 a.m. to run. Co-workers are invited to these runs, which range between 10 and 50 miles.  And as you would assume, he uses his own 110% compression gear as part of his recover routine.

Green met his Brazilian wife, Monica, on vacation in 1991 and has two boys, 23 and 17.  He describes his life as “way too busy.”  He ran the Brazil 135 in January 2012, was in England to launch the 110% brand  in February and travelled to Israel in March for other business.

In the middle of all the travel, Green who is also a founder of the 110% Give Harder Foundation, lead a group of runners on a 110-mile circuit where they ran 84 miles, including through the night, and finished the final 26.2 miles of their journey along the race course for the 26.2 with Donna, The National Marathon to Finish Breast Cancer.

Green will run Badwater for the first time this summer. He was coached by Ray Zahab and will have his brother and some of his co-workers on his crew. It’s no wonder how 110% got product of the year in Runners World and Gear of the Year in Triathlete Magazine – even in racing – Green may never actually stop working.

And when asked why he’s doing Badwater this year, Green’s answer is simple. “I wanted to see if I could do the two toughest 135s in the world, Brazil and Badwater, in one year.”

To learn more about 110% Play Harder visit www.110playharder.com.

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McKinney literally ran into Badwater on fateful day in 2004 when he and his family were on vacation in Death Valley.

He had gone on one of his normal six-mile runs and was dehydrated from the heat. He went into a local store to pick up Gatorade and a banana and got berated by the store clerk for being way behind.

“Way behind what?” McKinney had asked.

The Badwater 135-mile race through Death Valley was literally in progress when McKinney stopped in the store which was located along the race route. When McKinney stopped in, the leaders had passed through three hours prior and the store clerk was more than happy to tell McKinney all about the race.

McKinney was intrigued. He researched the race enough to convince himself that this was a race he wanted to do, but he needed to get a 100-miler under his belt in order to qualify. He contacted Lisa Smith-Batchen in September of 2004 and asked her to coach him for the first and only 100-mile race he has ever done in order to qualify for Badwater. That and his application got him into the race and he’s done it every year since.

In six weeks, McKinney went from someone who ran six miles every other day to an ultra athlete. He ran in the Dan Rosey Memorial 100-miler in Ohio on November 6, 2004.

“I was so not ready,” McKinney said. “Lisa also helped me prepare for the mental part of the race.” McKinney was in such bad physical shape after the race that he needed an ambulance. McKinney ultimately he asked the ambulance to take him to the airport so he could fly home.

It took a week for McKinney to recover from the race but he poured his energy into his application and was thrilled to learn he was invited to run Badwater. Since then, McKinney has run Badwater every year to raise money for Haitians.

“I am an adrenaline junkie, and this race fits the bill. I love the opportunity to be a part of something great,” McKinney said.

McKinney shared that during his first Badwater, he broke down and wanted to stop and even quit, but he persevered and finished the race.
His mantra, “relentless forward motion” is what pushes him to go on, even when his body may tell him otherwise.  He respects Badwater and appreciates every bit of the experience the race provides.

“The cleansing and spiritual experience is unlike anything I’ve experienced,” McKinney said.

About the group that runs Badwater, McKinney says it’s one big family.

“Here is this group of very normal people who are part of the Badwater culture. There is a culture that transcends the race, that desire to become primal, to push one’s limits and to test one’s self against the environment,” he said.

To McKinney, everything in life is about adventure, realizing potential, and working through adversity. It is why Badwater is so important to him.

This year marks his 7th attempt to cross the desert.

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All it took was one moment, and his life changed forever.

Lombardi was athletic as a kid and ran and cross country in middle school, but got away from running in high school. He started running again in his early 20s to supplement his surfing, which he did for the better part of 20 years, until real life took over and he gained weight and took up smoking. He made some attempts to get back into running and even completed two marathons but quit after he missed qualifying for Boston.  He tried running again from time to time but nothing every gelled.

It took an old girlfriend to shake him up enough to change his attitude.  On July 25, 2009 after learning his old high school girlfriend, Erin, was in ICU and undergoing chemotherapy for leukemia, he quit smoking cold turkey.  At the time, Lombardi was living in Boston, weighed 205 pounds and smoked a pack of Camel Lights aday. The next day, he shaved his head and, as he puts it, “laced up his shoes for real this time,” determined to start racing again.

Lombardi’s return to running was slow and arduous, for running around the block was difficult, but he progressed to a new fitness regime quickly. In a four-month period, Lombardi lost 35 pounds and qualified for Boston at the Disney Marathon, which made his friend Erin quite happy.

“I think my races were entertaining for her while she was in the hospital and her fight was quite motivational for me. I continued to improve my marathon times, ran a bunch of races all over the place and ran a marathon PR of 3:11,” Lombardi said.

A friend suggested he try an ultra marathon and while Lombardi’s reaction was along the lines of, “are you crazy? Who runs that far?” he ended up running a 50k.  Lombardi did relatively well placing 3rd and felt on top of the world. From there it was a natural progression to more and bigger events and after moving from 50Ks to 50-milers to 100Ks, Lombardi ran the Keys 100 in 2011 and won his age group finishing in a respectable 23 hours, though he admits during the race, he made plenty of mistakes.

On nutrition, Lombardi commented, “In the past I have been notorious for showing up to races with a bag of Cheetos and some Twizzlers, sleeping in my truck, and then just running hard. Sometimes I did well, and I even won a few events, but in others I blew up and limped in.”

Despite his race strategy, Lombardi saw his times come down in his 100-milers but when he made dietary changes and showed up prepared at the Iron Horse 100 in 2012 he finished in 4^th place in a swift 17:27.

While he improved his diet, rest, and race preparation, Lombardi admits, “I still love drinking Coke and Mountain Dew during an event, but try and hold off until the later stages of a race.  I’ve had a lot of people help me since I got involved in ultra running. I’ve received gear, travel, nutrition, and other perks but only now am I starting to get involved with potential sponsors on a long-term basis.”

Lombardi admits that running Badwater this summer is going to be difficult enough, not to mention the huge financial responsibility of sending he and his crew and his supporting girlfriend, Brooke, to the desert.

“She has been instrumental in helping me with my running and orchestrating everything that goes into preparing for these events, especially 100 milers. I simply could not do it without her, and the thought of going to Badwater without her is down right scary. I feel very privileged and lucky to have her by my side and look forward to her support in Death Valley.  She will be my crew chief and will have many hats to wear in addition to keeping me moving towards the Whitney Portals,” Lombardi said.

Currently employed as a test driver for an emerging line of high tech amphibious vehicles,

Lombardi says he’ll always do what it takes to keep the dream alive in his endurance racing.

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