THE LONG RUN

Ultrarunning is the ultimate test of physical endurance and mental strength, while taking you right to the heart of some breathtaking landscapes

“The further I run, the better I feel”

Ultrarunner Anna Rutherford says there is no problem that can’t be cured by a four-hour run

Ultrarunning tends to be defined as any distance further than a 26.2-mile marathon or, for the purists, a race of at least 50k (30 miles). At the sharp end of the sport, there are ultramarathons that last for multiple days, and even nonstop 24-hour tests of endurance. There is no typical ultrarunner, although scan the start line of any ultra and you’re likely to see plenty of over-35s and an everincreasing number of women. This is a discipline that develops serious stamina, clearly, but also strength and no small amount of mental resilience – as well as the wellbeing benefits of extended time spent outdoors. The 39-year-old lawyer set a record time for running the 214-mile Southern Upland Way (SUW) non-stop in May. “Whatever work or family stresses I have,” she says, “running long-distances returns me home a better person.” Rutherford, who has two young children, discovered ultrarunning in 2010 when she was living in London. “When I’m running,” she says, “the focus is just on the activity and how my body is feeling – whether I’m hungry or thirsty. There is nothing else to think about. The further I run, the better I feel. “My partner at the time was an ultrarunner. I had a stressful job and I was running 5ks at lunchtime. He suggested I try longer distances and I quickly became hooked. I loved the feeling of leaving behind work, my computer and phone and just focusing on running.” Rutherford was also keen to challenge herself, and soon took part in her first ultra event, the Compton Downland 40, followed by a 100k high-altitude race in the Alps knowns as the CCC. “I went from 5k races straight to ultras,” she says, “I found I was good at technical long-distance runs with lots of hills. I did a lot of events in the first few years.” After a move to other sporting challenges, including “the hardest Ironmans I could find” for a few years, Rutherford returned to ultrarunning. Due to a busy family life with husband and fellow runner Neil, at home near Peebles in the Scottish Borders, Rutherford finds running more time-efficient and less formulaic than the triathlons she also competes in. She aims to run for 20 hours each week, with the longest run on a Thursday while two-year-old Kit and one-year-old Ella are being cared for by Neil. “I don’t work on a Thursday – that is my time. I run on my own, listen to an audiobook and think only of my running.” Riutherford also says she has a “rather old-fashioned” training timetable. “I do four weeks with a total of 100 miles of running each week, then the next week I rest,” she explains. “Aside from the ten-hour Thursday run, I’ll do shorter runs at a faster pace – I get up at 5am to do those.” As well as the SUW record, Rutherford has won the 150-mile White Rose Ultra, the 235-mile multi-stage Deadwater ultra and the 65k Tweed Valley Ultra. Determination, she says, is key to success. “You need to really want to do this sport. You have to be patient, too, because it takes a while to build up to the distances and then you need to pace yourself through training and in races.”