I'm starting to feel a bit like a Mike Morton groupie, but as an ultrarunner, it's hard for me not to get caught up in the incredible year the 40-year-old master sergeant is having.
How incredible? How about this? And this. And this.
So indulge me for a second while I ramble about ultrarunning ...
Tomorrow, Mike -- running on the USA Track & Field team -- and 269 athletes from 35 nations will toe the line at the 9th 24-Hour World and European Championships in Katowice, Poland. The race starts at noon Poland time (0600 Eastern).
The goal? Run as far as you can in 24 hours. Runners can stop, sit, eat, nap, play Bingo -- whatever they want to do while the clock is ticking. The male and female runners who go the farthest win. Simple, right?
"The course that the race is being organized on is a 1,554-meter looped route in Park Slaski in Chorzow, very close to the Krakow City Center. The course is relatively flat, with a couple of rolling hills," the International Association of Ultrarunners said in a news release.
Scott Jurek holds the current American men's 24-hour record, with a mark of 165.7 miles set at the 2010 IAU 24-Hour World Championship in Brive, France. To compare, Mike ran 163.9 miles last year at North Carolina's Hinson Lake 24-hour race.
Updates will be posted on the IAU website and Twitter. You may also be able to get updates here, but my Polish is rusty-to-nonexistent, so check back tomorrow once the race starts.
