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Aspen - Log 16 Monday 9 Dec; Sailing vs. Ultra-Running



I am an ultra-runner. Running extremely long races is my passion in life. My favorite race is the Leadville Trail 100 Mile Race, "The Race Across the Sky". There is no more brutal 100 race in the US than that race. We run on trails in the mountains to over 12,400 feet within a 30 hour time limit to finish the race.

Sailing across an ocean can be compared with running the Leadville 100 mile race. When running we have to take care of our body in order to finish the race. In sailing across the Atlantic we must take care of our sailboat to complete the journey. Our sailboat needs fuel as our body needs energy. Run out of fuel and we run out of power for things like the autopilot; and the ability to move through the water when there is no wind, just like now! Run out of fuel when we are running and we cannot continue running because our human engine will simply shut down. Run out of fuel on our sailboat and we drift endlessly in circles going nowhere.

Mental exhaustion from lack of sleep is common in Ultrarunning. Sound familiar with sailors? Day after day of limited sleep while sailing is a fact that we all have to deal with. I've learned never make a critical sailing decision when I am roused from my sleep by Maria. It is usually the wrong decision and I need time to wipe the cobwebs from my mind before acting on an impulse.

In the middle of a 100 mile race the battered runners have a goal to finish the race. Yet finishing is optional because they can quit at any time and retire to their nice warm and dry vehicle, drive to a comfortable hotel, have a pleasant meal and take a hot shower if they wish. It becomes a mental challenge to continue running to the end.

Sailing in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean there is no option to quit; no option to stop at an island to get refueled, rested and call it over and try again at another time. Even when the days pass ever so slowly and the wind does not appear we continue forever onward in our quest for the finish line at St. Lucia. Finishing is mandatory!

It seems that I have become a sailor now with a passion for the sea. I just wish I could sail faster these days than I am able to run on land!


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