Cooperative Living March 2022 - 28

EXPLOREMORE
The Longest Yards
by Amanda S. Creasey, Outdoors Writer
Virginia Adventures' Freight Train Ultramarathon
tests endurance runners
D
ec. 11, 2021, is an unseasonably
warm Saturday in Farmville, Va.
Gusts ofwind rattle the bare
branches ofthe small trees in the town
square behindWalker's Diner, tousling
the holiday lights draped around the
robust Christmas tree keeping vigil
over what would normally be a sleepy
Saturday morning.
But there is no sleeping in on this
day. A group oftrail-running enthusiasts
is gathering under the roofofthe
farmers market, 33 ordinary people
about to complete an extraordinary feat.
Here, they will start a 100-kilometer,
or 62-mile, run along the High Bridge
Trail in High Bridge Trail State Park.
In another hour, 137 additional runners
will gather in the same spot to complete
a 50K, or 31-mile, race.
The annual event, organized by
Virginia Adventures LLC, is known as
Freight Train, and these runners have
been training for months. It's more than
a marathon. It's an ultramarathon.
Raleigh, N.C., the day before. Allen split
her training mileage between biking and
running, running about 60 miles per
week, and biking between 50 and 60.
In contrast to Allen, Chris Pedi, who
will place first in the 50K in 3:22:15,
has never run an ultramarathon. His
training was " nothing really out of the
ordinary, " consisting of a weekly mileage
in the mid 70s.
When I catch up with him at the
finish line later in the day, he has
showered and is eating a slice of pizza.
" The race was beautiful, " he tells me.
" I loved the course. " He explains that
another runner ran about half of the
race with him, helping to motivate him.
" The community and camaraderie of
running is the best, " he says.
Stephanie Millholland, who hails
The 100K
journey begins.
TRAINING AND
TOGETHERNESS
Lisa Allen, a veteran trail runner who
trail unne
has run hundreds of ultras, enjoys the
community aspect. " It gets more fun the
longer you go. The culture is great. The
community is great. It doesn't get any
more painful; it gets more fun, " she says.
She and her husband arrived from
26 ● Cooperative Living ●
March 2022
fromHenrico, Va., agrees that the
community is stellar. Relatively new to
the sport, this is her fifth ultramarathon.
" It was intimidating at first, but then
I realized these people are really nice.
You can strike up conversations midrace.
It's like family. You're competing,
but when you're 15, 20, 25 miles into
one ofthese, everyone checks in on
each other. "
As she says this, another runner
paces over and
gives her an
enthusiastic
hug. Millholland
laughs. " We all suffer
together, " she says. She will complete
the course in a shade under six hours.
OVERCOMING FEAR
THROUGH FRIENDSHIP
I meet Ros (Diva) Hines-High just
ft er she crosses the High Bridge, a 125foot-high
converted rail line that spans
2,400 feet over the Appomattox River.
Hines-High is in her first
ultramarathon. She also is terrified of
bridges. She credits, or perhaps blames,
Sheree Bremner, running beside her;
Cameron Herndon, her running coach
joggingjo
her
ng behind her; " and a whole bunch
ofother crazy people. " The three live in
the Richmond-Hanover County area.
" I was like, 'Ofall things, why would
you all pick something you know I
hate?' " she says. But she doesn't like to
admit defeat and calls Bremner and
Herndon her inspirations for traversing
the span.
" These two have been with me since
day one, so I feel ifthey say I can do it,
then I can do it, " she says. When she saw
co-opliving.com
http://www.co-opliving.com
Cooperative Living March 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living March 2022
