Former Taos Tiger soccer player continues athletic career as an ultrarunner
The “ultra” in “ultrarunner” doesn’t modify runner. It refers to the distance of the race, which is ultra far. Exact distances of ultra races range up to 100 miles, but the title is generally given to races longer than the marathon distance of 26.2 miles: ultra long.
In the case of Travis Thompson, however, it would be fair to call him, “ultra,” too. Once a Taos Tiger soccer player in the class of 2007, Thompson is now a passionate runner.
This year’s 55-kilometer Canyon de Chelly Ultramarathon (Oct. 13) in northeastern Arizona was Thompson’s first ultra. He finished the 34.18-mile race in four hours and 40 minutes, an impressive thirdplace in a field of 134 finishers at a pace of under eight minutes and 15 seconds per mile.
The race is organized by Shaun Martin, a well-known Navajo runner and educator featured in the recently released film “3,100: Run and Become.” All proceeds from the race, which is so popular that registration is by lottery, support running programs for Native American youth.
According to magazine, Martin runs “to celebrate life, to pray and to learn.” It’s hard to imagine a better setting than Canyon de Chelly.
Thompson’s parents Todd and Laura Thompson still reside in Hondo Mesa while Travis Thompson traverses the trails around Seattle, Washington, where he is a cabinetmaker.