Dover man completes 100-mile endurance ultramarathon
Are 100-mile races becoming the “new marathon?” It’s an intriguing question, posed by Steven Benardete of Dover Plains, who completed the Vermont 100-mile endurance ultramarathon run this summer, his first 100-miler.
In his lengthy post-race email report, the 63-year-old Amenia resident noted that only 55 runners completed the New York City Marathon in 1970, and now that number has swelled to more than 50,000. Several decades ago, 100-mile ultras barely existed; now, they are the domain of many recreational runners – Benardete included.
His climb from recreational runner in the Junk Yard Dogs training group in eastern Dutchess County to completing the grueling Vermont 100-miler this summer in the coveted under-30-hour cutoff time (29 hours, 9 minutes, 54 seconds) is proof positive that we are just scratching the surface of endurance limits.
“My family and friends were both incredulous and proud,’’ Benardete concluded in his race report. “Even when I had convinced myself that I would never run a 100-mile race, my wife and daughter knew that someday I would. They knew before I did. I haven’t forgot about my fellow Junk Yard Dogs and continue to train and race with them at distances ranging from 5K to marathon.’’
In fact, to prove that point, Benardete completed the Dutchess County Classic 5-kilometer race in 21:46 – winning his age group! His journey to completing a race that was 33 times longer than that had local roots as well.
Benardete noted that the shift from marathons to ultra races happened quickly. He said he had run a few half marathons and just one full marathon with the Junk Yard Dogs running team and was training for Boston when a friend on the board of the Mohonk Preserve introduced him to the Rock the Ridge 50 Mile Challenge in New Paltz, a popular event that benefits the preserve.
“I was intrigued by the idea of a 50-mile run but concerned that Rock the Ridge was scheduled just three weeks after the Boston Marathon,’’ he said. “I wasn’t sure my body could recover in time nor would I have had the chance to train for the longer distance. My triathlon coach was supportive and persuaded me to give it a try. Since it was a local race, and Mohonk Preserve and Minnewaska State Park are famous for their beauty, I figured I had nothing to lose. At the very least it would be a nice day on the trails. As it turned out, the event was loads of fun and I finished in a very respectable time.’’
After his first Rock the Ridge, Benardete got more involved in the ultra scene. He participated in the Leadville 100 training camp in Colorado, which involved 60 miles of demanding trails at altitude on the famed Leadville course. In 2017, he completed Rock the Ridge again as well as the JFK 50 in Maryland in November. “I remember crossing the finish line in both races promising myself that I would never again entertain running a 100-mile race,’’ he said. Yeah, right.
However, during his 2017 Rock the Ridge race, he befriended three local runners -- Rihana Azam, Rich Loud and Lena Peterson. “We crossed paths on the Mohonk trail and since we all had an ‘8’ in our race number, we named ourselves ‘The Crazy 8s,’” he said.
He added: “In the spirit of our group’s name, we began talking about taking on a crazy running challenge. What’s crazier in the running world than a 100-mile race? After several months, we finally decided to step up and try our first 100-mile challenge.’’
Benardete hired ultrarunning coach Rob Krar to guide him in his Vermont training, which included high mileage weekends and a 12-week buildup to the race. The Vermont course features 17,000 feet of elevation gain – “you need to embrace the hills,” he exclaimed – as well as trail running terrain.
He noted the most difficult thing about completing the race was the most obvious: Having to stay awake – and moving – for 29 consecutive hours while maintaining mental and physical focus in the woods and in the dark. Again, a local connection came to the rescue.
“I had the good fortune to recruit an extraordinary pacer, Kelly Harris (originally from Hyde Park),’’ he said. “Kelly is the women’s assistant crew coach at Dartmouth College and a talented trail runner. Coming out of the 70-mile aid station just as Kelly began her pacing, I really started to feel my fatigue. I was tired and every muscle in my body, from head-to-toe, was achy. As we left the lights of the aid station and headed into the dark trail, facing a hard single-track climb, I felt depleted and really relied on her energy, determination and tough love to dig deep and keep my body moving. Kelly was heroic as she kept me on course, on pace and kept any doubts about whether we would finish to herself. I don’t know what I would have done without her.’’
Benardete said it was a sweet feeling to reach the finish line with Harris. He added: “I was overwhelmed with emotion as my wife, daughter and great friend Warren Elghanayan, my stalwart crew chief, welcomed us with lengthy cheers, hugs and pride in their eyes. My biggest lesson training and running the race is that ultramarathon running is different from racing marathons. It is not a solitary sport. It requires teamwork, camaraderie and attracts a very unique cadre of competitors.’’
Congratulations to Benardete for this outstanding accomplishment. We’ll feature another great 100-miler finisher – Jason Friedman of New Paltz, at the Leadville Trail 100 – in the coming weeks.
Mid-Hudson Road Runners Club member Pete Colaizzo, the track coach at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, writes on running every week in Players. He can be reached at runhed246@hotmail.com. For more club information, go to www.mhrrc.org