17-Year-Old Runs a 50 Mile Race

17-year-old Michael Hayden has completed over ten ultramarathons. An ultramarathon is any running race that is longer than 26.2 miles. Standard distances are the 50K, 50-mile, 100K, and 100-mile.

Hayden completed his first 100-mile race at the age of 16. He holds several national age records. At the Umstead 50 Mile race on March 31, he broke his own 50-mile record with a time of 7:54. The following weekend he ran the Mad City 100K, setting another age group record with a time of 10:55. He ran the Bull Run 50 Miler on April 14.

"I'm really motivated by Dean Karnazes, " said Hayden. "I've read his book, Ultramarathon Man, four times and it's very inspiring."

17-year-old Michael Hayden flew from Los Angeles, CA to Northern Virginia on Friday afternoon for the 15th Bull Run 50 Miler. I had the pleasure of picking him up at the airport and hosting him for the weekend. During the race, my job would be to "crew" him-- going to each aid station and making sure he had everything he needed in terms of energy supplements and food.

On Saturday morning, I dropped Michael off at the start line and then drove to the first aid station. There were five aid stations throughout the 50-mile course, and runners came through each station twice along the way. Each aid station was stocked with a wide variety of food, beverages, Advil, and medical equipment. 335 runners started this race and 300 finished it within the 13-hour time limit. As Michael's "crew" it was my job to take his bag to every aid station. And take clothing from him as he shed it.

The aid stations were located anywhere from two to seven miles apart. Between aid stations, the runners ran on trails throughout Clifton, VA. This terrain is extremely hilly, and has many roots and rocks that runners need to watch out for. "The course was really technical and challenging," said Hayden. "You had to be really carefully with your footing-- I'm not used to running on such rough courses."

I experienced some of this trail myself when I ran with Michael Hayden for a 6.5 mile span toward the end of the race. At the aid station at mile 38, I saw him come through. He drank some Boost and then we were on our way. I knew that the trail would be rough, and that I had to watch my footing, but this was much more difficult than I expected. I had to look down the entire time and watch every single foot step. There were rocks and roots everywhere, not to mention all the logs we had to jump over. Many runners had fallen down, and they showed up at the aid stations with scrapes and cuts and swollen ankles.

Not only were there roots and rocks everywhere, but the course was a constant up and down hill. Nothing was flat for more than a few yards. We actually had to walk up some of the hills because they were too steep for running. I had to walk some of the down hills as well because they were so steep. If I ran down them, I would have fallen.

They best way to characterize this race would be: "obey the trail". The trail dictated the pace of the runners, as well as their footing. In road running, runners can pretty much set their own pace at any point during the course. But at the Bull Run 50 Miler, everything was determined by the trail itself and the runner has less control.

Michael Hayden finished the race in 8:23, and is now officially the youngest person to ever finish that course. In fact, he's the only minor to have ever run that course. He was awarded a finisher's jacket.

There are certain people who are against young runners competing in ultramarathons. Most ultra marathoners are in their 30's and 40's. One man in his 40's tried to get Hayden disqualified, but he was not successful. Many of the spectators at the aid station were critical of Hayden and one of the 24-year-olds who was running at the head of the pack without a bottle. They were certain that the 24-year old would drop out, but he ended up coming in 7th place at 7:06.

"Of course there are dangers of running ultramarathons at such a young age, but young runners tend to recover fairly quickly," said Hayden. "I try to keep my body fit by weight lifting, swimming, biking, eating right, and listening to my two experienced coaches."

Michael Hadyen has been competing in an ultramarathon every weekend for the past several weeks, and will continue to do so for most of the spring. He's preparing for an 18-day stage race in France this summer that he says will test his body's limits.

"I plan on running ultras for as long as I am able to," said Hayden. "I might take a little bit of a break in college, but we'll see." Hayden's goal is to run an ultramarathon in every state of the country within a two-year time span. He is also considering competing in an Ironman triathlon.

Michael Hayden's next ultramarathon is a 100K on May 5. In between, he will run shorter races, including the La Jolla half marathon in California. Hayden is a senior in High School and is currently deciding which college to attend in the fall.