1987 Ultimate Runner Contest

I was recently having a one up conversation with some obsessed runners. Stuff like, Ive ran forty something marathons, Ive ran the Ironman in Kona twice, Ive ran the Western States 100 mile you get the picture. I was kind of feeling like, yeah, I hang around with obsessed runners that have done such amazing feats, it would be hard to impress them and a thought came to me a long forgotten event, (I really did forget about this). I got everyones attention and said, I once ran 35:16 for 10k, a mile in 5:05 and a marathon in 3:14. I got a lot of So what looks. Not bad times but no great shakes, until I said, I did that all on the same day.

Just as the Ironman Triathlon came from a one up conversation in a bar by 3 athletes discussing what was a greater achievement, the 2.4 mile Waikiki rough water swim, the around Owahoo 112 mile bike race or the Honolulu Marathon, when the idea to do them all back to back came up and the triathlon was born!

A few years later in a bar in Jackson, Michigan (Im not sure of this story but its close), the question of which of the Olympic glory running events got the most media hype. The conversation was followed by the idea to run them all back to back on the same day to see what kind of media hype that would bring and The Ultimate Runner contest was born Unfortunately it died a short time later and never caught on. But there I was on the starting line in 1987, hoping I would be a part of history (I ran the 4th and 5th Ironman in Kona and wished Id been there for the first). So that morning I ran 10km, then headed to the track to run the 100 meters, 400 meters, then the mile, all before heading back out on the road to run the marathon. Another thought, I guess this was my first ultra! 33.45 miles! Another thought, I averaged under 7 minute pace!

I was 31 and in my running prime. I was actually voted Michigan runner of the year in 1987 but not for this silliness. My Ultimate Runner times follow.

10km 35:16
400 m 65.5
100 m 14.7 (Quite embarrassing, I almost fell on my face out of the blocks!)
Mile 5:04
Marathon 3:14:39, it was a long day

Go ahead, one up me, I love this stuff!

Randy Step, still obsessed, after all these years