Bay Area mom’s goal: 100 miles in under 24 hours
If being a mom isn’t enduring enough, imagine running four consecutive marathons.
That’s exactly what the San Jose mother-of-one and fitness trainer Bree Lambert is doing in the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run.
Lambert hopes to finish the 100.2 miles in under 24 hours.
The race, which began at 5 a.m. Saturday in Squaw Valley, ends Sunday, with the last finisher expected to come in at 30 hours at 11:00 a.m. at Placer High in Auburn, said Western States spokesman John Trent. Runners will climb 18,000 feet and descend 23,000 feet of rugged terrain, with conditions ranging from snow to 115 degree heat.
Lambert is not afraid. And, why should she be? She’s the U.S.A. Track and Field Female Masters Ultra Runner of the Year (Mountain Ultra Division). She’s also run it once before in 2013, clocking in at 23 hours and 26 minutes.
Though Lambert had always been an off-road triathlete, where competitors finish triathlons in mountain terrains, she got into ultra running after a mountain biking accident in her early thirties. She was airlifted to a hospital where the doctors told her she would be lucky to ever run a 10k again.
“They told me to pick up a copy of ‘War and Peace,’ sit on the couch and call it a day, but I was determined to rehabilitate myself,” Lambert said.
Lambert soon found her new niche in ultra running — running distances longer than a marathon. In her first 50k ultra race, Lambert won and set a women’s course record.
“After that I said ‘this is it — I found it,’” she said. “I promised myself within the next year that I would become the best ultra runner I could be; that was almost 12 years ago.”
Lambert said she’s competed in about 80 ultra races since then, running three since February this year alone. She ran a 50k in May with her long time friend and running partner Gary Saxton. Although Saxton will not be at the Western States race, he said they paralleled their training so that each runner would “peak” for their respective race.
Lambert said this is all part of her training process — after picking a primary race, she starts training six to seven months in advance. She runs five to six days a week with at least one off-day, averaging 70 miles per week.
According to Lambert, the mental training is more important than the physical one. Ultra runners usually hit “low points” when they feel like they cannot go on.
Trent echoed this effect; as a 10-time finisher of the Western States race, he said keeping a positive mental attitude the entire time can be difficult.
“The mental part of the race is often more important than the physical one,” he said. “Sometimes you feel like you can’t go on.”
When Lambert hits a low point, she reminds herself of life challenges she has overcome.
“Ultra running for me parallels my life,” she said. “I say to myself, ‘I can get to the top of this mountain, knowing it’s going to be a beautiful view and I can coast down the other side of it.’”
Saxton agreed — especially for Lambert, one of 369 runners participating in the race this weekend.
“She has an incredible story — there is an incredible person in that incredible runner,” Saxton said.
Lambert describes this as part of her philosophy and personal training motto, “Live well. Finish strong.” She reminds herself and her clients that they should never give up, even when the going gets tough.
She trains runners from all experience levels in San Jose, Campbell and online. Lambert says that she loves helping other people achieve their goals and destress through running.
For aspiring ultra runners, Lambert advises patience in building endurance.
“It’s not just about running, it’s about understanding how to maintain a strong mentality and mental endurance to push through,” she said. “You have to remain disciplined to be good at this or any sport.”
Anyone interested in following Lambert throughout the Western States run can follow her at number 241 on ultralive.net.