You may or may not be aware there is club called the 100×100. A list of those who have run 100-100 mile races. A goal, which I’m sure they set as their life’s mission. Like those who want to run a marathon in every state. I just crossed over the 10% mark, having completed my 10th official 100-mile race. The issue with the 100-100s goal is this: if I kept the SAME EXACT trajectory, my outlook doesn’t look that great.
I’ll be 80 by the time I get there!?!?!? That’s encouraging, and that’s IF I get there. Will I be able to run at 86? My prospects don’t look great. Is it a frequency thing? No, that’s not the issue; to do a 100 takes a toll on friends, family, body, and mind, and while I enjoy racing, this isn’t one of those things where more is better. They are more to be savored, targeted, and planned if done right. If I got there, say to 100 100s, what truly would I gain? Lots of buckles, and a few friends along the way I’m sure. It’s a noble quest, and congrats to those on their way or who have achieved it.
I have had a change of heart. I have a new goal: 100 People, 100 Ultras. There are a few reasons why I swapped to what I am calling my “sole purpose,” pun intended. I might be 80 by the time I reach this one as well, but the arc of this process is wildly different, and even more challenging. That’s what I plan to cover in this post.
Why are you here, and what motivates you?
Running and fitness are a way to transform; it’s the challenge, it’s the quest, you against the course. Not about others, you against you. I love the process of discovery you go on when you are brought to the depths of pain and suffering, because it’s only in challenges we learn more about ourselves. I believe if I just kept the blind goal of 100 100s for myself (don’t worry I’m still running 100s), I don’t think there would be as much of a challenge and personal growth as getting others to their destinations vs. myself.
I’ve been reading “The Success Principles,” and one of the main ideas is setting an intention. Once set, it’s everywhere you look: in your wallet, on your phone, when you wake up. I wasn’t doing that with my 100-100s goal, but my “100 people to 100 ultras” gives me more motivation. It doesn’t have to be a 100-mile race, but just an ultra. It’s what I love, it’s a massive goal, and even more so a MASSIVE effort to get that many people to that many races. I currently only take a select few clients every year as well, so this also creates another challenge.
100 people, 100 ultras before I’m 100.
The goal has to also have a deadline, and realistically, I think this can be achieved in 10 years. Will it have to be 100 direct people? That I have not decided on yet. So I’ve been creating some tools and gathering information on the best resources for getting those that want to start an ultra. If I can put this together in a package that I can distribute, that might be a more effective way to get to the goal sooner. Part of me thinks that, but then there I go; I’m so focused on the end, skipping the very important middle of all the connections that I would make if I played a hand in each result.
100 connections. 100 stories, 100 problems to solve, and 100 friends to make; to guide 100 people to a better version of themselves that’s a stronger and more resilient version of themselves.
I don’t want to subject my body to 100 100-mile races, but I do want to push myself to connect with 100 people on 100 missions to do something so hard that you think about it the other 364 days of the year. I’m addicted to that moment when you toe the line, put the training to the test, and see if you can finish. For both myself, and for others, a quest to take on every year; even if you DNF, you will be shown your limits more than in any other activity I have witnessed.
This isn’t some flex, nor am I posting this for my business. I can’t even take more than 4 or 5 runners a year. The point of this is setting big intentions in life, and finding a guiding light of something that’s worth getting you out of bed in the morning. The older I get, the harder it is, but as I age I’ve got to keep shifting my purpose. The kicker is it might take me 30 years, but I just like this guiding light better than my last. My guiding light is not yours, but my light might help guide you to a 100, and make connections along the way. There are no rules for this life or our purpose but what we make it, and this one struck a massive chord with me.
My mind and my happiness are a product of what I hold in my focus, and this has been the best one I could come up with. I invite you to find your mission statement in life, whatever it might be. I’ll warn you, it might keep changing like mine has…
I do not (at least consciously) have a steady sense of life’s meaning. I keep losing it, and having to re-achieve it, again and again. I can only re-achieve (or “remember”) it when I am “inspired” by things or events or people, when I get a sense of the immense intricacy and mystery, but also the deep ordering positivity, of Nature and History. … I do not believe in, never have believed in, any “transcendental” spirit above Nature; but there is a spirit in Nature, a cosmogenic spirit, which commands my respect and love; and it is this, perhaps most deeply, which serves to “explain” life, give it “meaning.”
-Oliver Sacks:
Part of making your goal public makes it real, gives it power, and holds you accountable. By reading this post you forced me to act, to get out of bed, and work on this mission. I thank you for that!
– Patrick “UltraRunCoach” DuRANte
Patrick is an ultrarunner and coach from Philadelphia who loves documenting his running career. His mission is to provide useful tips and tricks to assist others along their ultra journey. You can find his coaching services at https://ultraruncoach.com.