In 2011, long time Bellingham-area resident Jay Sloane took a journey into the unknown. He ran an ultra marathon. Sloane, who has been running for over 30 years and is a veteran of many marathons and hundreds of shorter races, didn’t take the journey lightly as he logged over 1000 miles in the ten weeks leading up to his first ultra, the Mt. Si 50k. Obviously, unknown didn’t equal unprepared as Sloane, who was 48 at the time, won the race in a 3:45:05.
This year Sloane, who is sponsored by Klick’s Running in Bellingham(formerly known as RunningShoes.com), will be returning to the Mt. Si 50k with a little more knowledge and a little more experience as he ran the Transcendence 12 Hour last August in Olympia. Running 71.6 in 12 Hours, he placed 4th in a very competitive field that was led by Jesse Stevick(5x Capital City Marathon Champ). In addition to a little more knowledge and a little more experience, Sloane brings a balanced set of goals into this weekend’s race: have fun, be competitive, and run faster.
“Last year I truly enjoyed the entire race day experience and I would like to duplicate that this year. I would like to again be competitive and I am hoping to break 3:40,” he stated.
Several weeks ago, I had a chance to run with Sloane and occasional training partner Mark Kerr(who is also running the 50k on Sunday) as they romped around Greenlake in Seattle at the Dizzy Daze 50k with kid-like enthusiasm. It was a long training run, one of two that weekend, filled with chatter about upcoming races, recent training, movies, music and the racers up ahead that were on their way to setting course records. At Greenlake that day, Sloane, who coaches track and cross country at Mt. Baker High School, wasn’t tempted to pick up the pace or chase the leaders. The day had a purpose and was part of a plan for a specific day in the future, this Sunday.
A few days ago I was able to do a Q&A with the Mt. Si 50k Champion, below you will find some insight about the ”ultra scene”, what drew him to the longer races and some fun, yet challenging, summer racing that he has planned.
You've been running for many years, how many exactly and what do you make of how big the "Ultra Scene" has become in the last 5 years? “Yes I have been running for a very long time. I started running in high school and it is hard to believe but I have been running for last 35 years. It has been great to see the changes in the ultra scene over the last five years and I see it as a very positive movement in the running scene. In the past the majority of runners waited until they were older before running anything longer than a marathon and this has really changed. I have even had some high school aged runners express a strong interest in moving up to the ultra distances. In the last five years it appears that both younger and older runners have found a love for running the trails and running longer distances. The great thing about this is it has made for more ultras to choose from and in general the fields have become a lot more competitive.”
What draws you to Ultras? “I was originally drawn to ultras because I was looking for something to rejuvenate my love for running and I was looking for a new challenge. I was well past running PR’s for any distances of the marathon and down and I wanted to try something new. I have always had more endurance than speed and I have really enjoyed trail running. I have found that with age, if anything my endurance has improved and so ultra running was a logical next step. I also find that the ultra crowd is a wonderful group to hang out with.”
Returning to Mt Si as the defending Champ, what has your training been like leading up to the race and where do you feel you are compared to last year? “Overall my training has gone well. I have experienced a little more fatigue during this training cycle but this should improve with some reduced mileage. Like last year I put in over 1000 miles in the last ten weeks. I have a few less back to back long days but I do have a handful of runs between 25 and 32 miles. I feel like I am better mentally prepared at this time and I feel like I have put in some key workouts that support a good race this year.”
Do you have any key races coming up this summer? “I was recently asked by Erin Baker’s Cookies to run the GORE-TEX TRANSROCKIES RUN this August in Colorado. This is a two person, 120 mile, six day event with over 25,000 feet of elevation gain and altitudes up to almost 13,000 feet. I plan on running a lot in the mountains this summer to prepare for this race.”
Having started running ultras in the last few years, do you have any advice for people thinking about running an ultra? “My advice is to find a race and a course that excites you and fits with your style of running. If you are great at climbing make your first ultra a hilly course and if you like getting into a tempo find a flatter course. As far as the training goes stay on the trails as much as possible and try to find new places to run. Back to back runs are great so you can get use to running with some fatigue as you will experience plenty of this during your race. Also keep in mind that you are going to have highs and lows during your training and enjoy the high points and get through the low points.”
After decades of running, hundreds of races, and tons of miles, what keeps you running?
“After all of these years I still love the sport. I may not be as fast as I was but I still love the feeling of training and pushing my limits. I still really enjoy being out on the trails with friends and family and putting in the miles. There is still nothing quite like a beautiful spring day on the trails to alleviate all of my daily stressors. It also helps to have new goals and I plan on staying with the ultras and hopefully competing in my first 100 mile race in early 2013. I also have to keep running so I can keep-up with the high school cross country and track team.”
(Note: Jay Sloane also knows a thing or two about speed and the track as he coached the 2010 WA State 2A Boys 1600 Meter Champion)
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