TO THE EXTREME
Weekend athletes push their limits with obstacle races and longer distances
>>> In April, Caroline Crawford, 37, started intensive training runs with the Los Angeles Ultra Ladies, a group of about 30 women who recently ran 35 miles within 12 hours in Griff ith Park. They were preparing for races such as the punishing Javalina Jundred in October, a 100-mile race through the scorching Arizona Sonoran desert — nearly four 26.2-mile marathons — with hardly any stopping or sleeping. ¶ It is a goal that would have been unthinkable four years ago. In 2015, Crawford found out she had the autoimmune disorder Graves’ disease and was forced to retire from her job as a nurse. Panicked that her new diagnosis would def ine her, she sought a grand life-aff irming gesture and signed up for a half-marathon at Disneyland. ¶ Crawford made a deal with herself that she had to run only the best four miles through the theme park. But by mile six, she discovered her body could keep going. “I was so worried I wouldn’t ever feel like myself again, but running helped me feel in control of my life,” says Crawford of Valley Village. “I’m proving to myself what I can do.” ¶ Now, with her doctor’s blessing to keep running, she plans to go a lot further. ¶ Crawford is part of an increasing number of everyday people performing superhuman feats. For these individuals, 5Ks, half marathons and marathons, for example, no longer hold the allure they used to. Participation in 5Ks was 3.4 million in 2016 and has declined by 13% since then, half-marathon participation declined 25% over the same period (down from 2.9 million), and marathon