Back from the Grindstone

Photos © Tom Sperduto except where noted

What makes someone run an ultramarathon? Photographer Tom Sperduto says the eyes have it.

"I think when you meet an ultra runner you can see it in their eyes," says Sperduto, who has been shooting an ongoing photo project on these peculiar athletes. "At least I can, and it's one of the reasons why I began shooting portraits of them."

The Edison, New Jersey-based Sperduto recently completed a series of before-and-after pictures of competitors in the grueling Grindstone 100-miler in Swoope, Virginia, which he says is "the hardest 100-mile race east of the 100th meridian. (Above and below are a couple of examples.)

"These 'after' portraits were shot less than five minutes after the subjects completed 100 miles," he says. "In their eyes I see a sense of accomplishment and almost euphoria. I have heard many ultra runners talk about this."

Ultramarathoners are, technically, runners who race more than the measley 26.2-mile distance of an official marathon. Sperduto himself plans to join their ranks soon — he's training for the JFK 50-miler in Maryland on November 22. As part of his preparation, he's running the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C., this Sunday. "I will be running an additional 10 miles after the marathon," he adds matter-of-factly.

(Full disclosure: I am a marathoner myself and thus familiar with running abnormally long races. But personally, after completing 26.2 miles, the LAST thing I've ever wanted to do was run ten more miles. Or even ten more feet.)

What drives these people? "I have noticed many things that ultra marathoners have in common," Sperduto says, "like a oneness with nature, determination, boredom with the..." and he trails off. "I think the biggest thing is a sense of community. Ultra runners are like people who go to war together. There is a sense of family, friendship and understanding of where you been that can only be understood by those who have been there."

Another motivator seems to be a thirst for extreme experiences. One of the sports most successful, and storied, characters is Charlie Engle, who was brought to our attention by photographer Rod McLean (who made the photo of Engle at left). Engle was the subject of a riveting story in Runner's World that tracks his progress from a down-and-out crackhead at age 30 to a neary superhuman athlete who is now 47. The piece points out that Engle overcame one addiction — hard drugs — with another one for running.

In a recent post on a blog called Running America, Engle candidly writes of advice he gave kids in trouble: "I told them that the 'thing' inside them that makes them an addict is not their enemy. In fact, it’s that 'thing' that makes them special. It will drive them to a good life if they will let it. For me that thing” is a feeling of loneliness...Years ago I turned it into a passion for running. Of course I still feel that profound loneliness sometimes but I don’t need to do drugs to escape it. A run will do just fine."

Whatever the impulses, these ultra people are highly driven, admirable, and, some would say, just a bit poco loco. You can see it in their eyes. — Jack Crager