Running. Seriously?! YES!
1) Pat Heine, 29 | Emmaus, PA
I had always played sports growing up - mostly hockey and lacrosse - and I ran cross-country in high school. In college I started running marathons. I’d do them on zero training, and try to beat my previous times.
Three years ago I saw a Eurosport broadcast of the 106-mile Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc, in Chamonix, France, and found out about trail running and superlong distance races. The race went into the night and looked epic - like a mountain stage of the Tour de France. It made me want to run ultras, so I signed up for a 50-miler.
With trail running I started to enjoy training. It felt like there was more adventure involved. Trail racing shares a lot more with mountain biking culture than with road running - it’s about being outside and trying stuff and knowing you’re probably going to get wrecked but being chill about it.
You don’t have to follow a workout plan to be a runner. When I feel like I can’t go fast, I’ll just take photos or listen to music or walk or sit down. I love getting lost and then figuring out how to get back. Running trails helps my climbing on the bike. It lets me get power from different parts of my legs.
People are like, “You ran 100 miles?? That’s crazy!” But I’ve dealt with depression and done a bunch of self-harming things, and running insane distances feels like a much better substitute. It’s a huge coping mechanism.
One last word of advice: If you ever see a group of mountain bikers ahead of you on a climb while you’re running you should always pass them. It’s funny!
Here’s how ditching the wheels from time to time helps these five cyclists ride faster, stronger, and happier than ever - and how you can do it too.
