Ultra Marathon Man

"Race Day Is A Celebration"

Bill Graney, shown here running in the Western States 100, June 2005, is an Ultra Marathon runner. He has run many 100 mile races, including winning the recent Grand Teton 100. He conducted a (speaker) phone interview with Philosophy students from his office in Simi Valley, California on October 3rd, 2005. Below are some of his quotes and below that, reactions from the students.

Thanks to Kristine Kim for writing many of these quotes.

People have talked about "the edge". I don't think I have experienced it. When I'm running I'm concentrating.

In the Grand Teton 100, by mile 75 I knew the lead I had was too big for anyone to catch me so it was just a matter of moving forward and not breaking a leg.

Western States is by far the biggest deal in ultra running so it was a privileged to be involved.

It was very nice running all morning in the Western States, as the views of the High Sierras were stunning. The panorama held snowy mountains and pines in every direction with the sun rising over Lake Tahoe to the east.

What was really cool about the Western States was I received my finishers medal draped over my head by Tim Twietmeyer, a guy who has run 21 consecutive sub-24 Western States and won it a couple of times.

I have a deep appreciation for being able to do what I do. As far as coming up with "the meaning of life" I never had much of a handle on that before I became an ultra marathoner and I still don't.

I always like twilight and the approaching darkness in these races. It revives me for some reason.

Ultra marathoners come from all walks of life. Think about the different cliques in high school and now imagine one person from each of those groups becoming an ultra marathoner. But we do seem to be a fiercely independent lot.

As time passes I set different goals to keep myself motivated.

I've had disappointing finishing times, but it feels great to finish a 100.

The sense of accomplishment and the feeling of having been on a journey is there but negative thoughts tends to linger when you know you can do better.

I would rather improve my time than win a race.

As far as running 300 miles I don't see the point of it. If it's not within the confines of a race it seems like a stunt.

The hard part is training for the 100 mile races. On race day it's a celebration.

While running these 100 mile races there was never a time when I failed to realize that I was in a beautiful location and lucky to be there.

The media portrays people the wrong way, it's true of ultra marathoners and everyone else.

Mental readiness comes from preparation and discipline.

The ultra marathon community is a great community.

Student Reactions

After listening to Bill Graney, I realize that any goal is attainable.- Jacques

It's refreshing to meet an accomplished athlete who would rather inform others about his sport, rather than himself.- Erin

I'm now convinced that ultra marathoning is doable.- Meredith

It is truly amazing and inspiring to know Bill can actually run one-hundred miles or even more- Kristine

It was fascinating to hear about his motivation. Since I really don't run myself, it was nice to get a look at what runners think about when they are training for a 25-hour run.- Carter

It was amazing to hear a man equipped with the physical and mental capacity to do an amazing thing that only a small fraction of all others can compete in.- Andrew

Before we called him I kept thinking that he was insane. Then when we called I realized that he's just one of us. I am more motivated to run knowing there are people out there running 100 miles.- Joy

I was impressed with his outlook on running. He said he would rather improve his time than win a race. That's exactly how I am. I actually hate running races. It's all about just enjoying running. He told me to mix it up and keep that love of running. Although he doesn't think he is an inspiration, he is.- Elise

These runners have so much freedom. If they want to get away they can. It stuns me. I am almost speechless. I am almost tempted to start running to see if could experience the same thing Bill experiences.- Melanie

I hope Bill keeps up the training and wins many more races. 100 miles is a long way and maybe one day I will be disciplined enough to do it...but not yet.- Matt