Although he first started running ‘under the cover of darkness’as a bid to get back in shape, former Lake Orion resident Tom Thornton never imagined that just three years later he would be competing in ‘ultra- marathons.?
An ultra-marathon is any race over the standard 26.2 mile marathon distance. Thornton, who recently relocated to the Louisville, Kentucky area, competed in the Kettle Moraine 100-Mile race in Wisconsin on June 4.
‘My time was 23 hours and 10 minutes,? he said. ‘My goal was to break 24 hours.?
Out of 77 starters, Thornton was one of 36 to finish, taking 10th place.
Thornton; who with wife Lisa has two daughters, Kim, 4, and Sarah, 3; ran track in junior high and then continued running ‘modestly? in his 20s to stay in shape.
Then, Thornton said three years ago, at age 32, he looked in the mirror and wasn’t happy with what he saw or how he was feeling.
‘I started running again because I wanted to lose weight,? he said. ‘I hadn’t run a step in probably five years.?
Thornton started out running laps around the cul-de-sac of his then neighborhood, mostly at night.
‘I was embarrassed,? he said. ‘I didn’t want anyone to see me panting and wheezing.
I couldn’t even do a whole mile non-stop.?
After two months, Thornton found he could run for 20 minutes without stopping. He decided to run on the Paint Creek Trail, and recalled a woman walking up to him and asking him if he was ok.
‘That told me it was a good thing I started running when I did,? he said.
After six months, Thornton had lost 50 pounds. When he got to the point where he could run 3-4 miles, a co-worker at General Motors named Earl suggested Thornton run in an 8K race in Hines Park.
‘That’s five miles,? he said. ‘I’d never run that far before.?
Thornton did the training and completed the race, and the same friend suggested he do a 10K. Thornton did, and found he enjoyed it.
‘I didn’t embarrass myself,? he said. ‘That Christmas (of 2002) I did another 5K, and then my friend suggested I run in a marathon.?
Thornton said his friend had ?30-something marathons under his belt.?
‘My roommates in college ran a marathon, and I thought it was kind of cool,? he said. ‘I was a little jealous.?
Thornton made his goal the Detroit Marathon in the fall of 2003. He actually ran his first marathon, the Bay Shore, in Traverse City in May of that year.
‘It was a terrific experience,? he said. ‘I finished with a respectable time, and my running friend and I decided to do Detroit.?
In the Detroit Marathon, both Thornton and his friend ran times that qualified them to run in the Boston Marathon.
‘At that point, I liked trail running better than road running,? he said. ‘I found quickly that in trail running, there’s a lot of emphasis on ultra-distance running.?
Ultra-marathons usually begin at 31 miles, and go anywhere from 50, 62 and 72 miles up to 100 miles.
‘I couldn’t conceive that I would ever do anything like that,? Thornton said. ‘But I figured what the heck.?
Thornton ran his first ultra-marathon, the HUFF (Huntington Ultra Frigid Fifty) in Indiana in Dec. 2003.
‘It was 32. 4 miles,? he said. ‘There were a lot of changes in terrain, from mud and water to ice. It’s much, much more taxing on your body (than a regular marathon).?
Thornton finished the HUFF with a time of four hours, 59 minutes.
In 2004, he ran in the Boston Marathon, finishing in three hours, 25 minutes. Also in 2004, he volunteered to run a set pace with a pace team for the Detroit Marathon, running the three hours, 45 minutes pace.
‘I did another trail marathon in Michigan in April (of 2004),? Thornton said. ‘I did that one six days after I ran Boston.?
Thornton ran in eight ultra-marathons in 2004, ‘from Wisconsin to Pennsylvania to Kentucky to Michigan.?
Besides running the HUFF again, Thornton also ran a 70-mile race, his longest at that point.
‘That was a mountain trail in western Pennsylvania,? he said.
Prior to running the 100 miles of the Kettle Moraine on June 4 of this year, Thornton brought his family with him when he ran in a 50-mile race in Kentucky in April.
‘My daughters met me 200 yards from the finish line, and ran in with me,? he said. ‘Both of them say they want to be runners, and once in a while we run around the block, or I run and they ride their bicycles.?
When he ran the Kettle Moraine, Thornton took Orion residents Dennis Keener and Mary Chayka-Crawford with him as a support crew.
‘They met me at the first 100 kilometers,? said Thornton.
At the 70-mile point, Keener ran with him as a pacer/companion runner.
Thornton said Chayka-Crawford was suffering an injury and wasn’t able to run, although she did help out by meeting him at the different aid stations.
‘There were eight of them, every 4-8 miles,? he said. ‘They’d meet me at most of the stations and keep me hydrated and give me food.?
Thornton said it was very helpful having Keener and Chayka-Crawford with him, and having Keener run with him.
‘He helped me go faster,? he said. ‘It was very motivating to know my friends were waiting for me at the next aid station. It was a good mental boost.?
Thornton said in an ultra-marathon you are moving forward the whole time, and that most athletes walk up the hills and run the flats and downhills.
‘The idea is to conserve your energy,? he said. ‘You are eating and drinking constantly. I ate boiled potatoes, turkey sandwiches, fruit, cookies, muffins…I even had coffee.
‘The pace is slower and more relaxed,? said Thornton. ‘You can hurt yourself pretty badly if you don’t pace yourself.?
Thornton didn’t sit down for the first time during the 100-mile race until the 12-mile point.
‘Even then it’s just for a minute or two,? he said.
Thornton said he felt pretty good after the race, although his feet were ‘pretty beat up.?
‘My toenails were damaged,? he said. ‘For three days after my feet, ankles and calves were swollen.?
Thornton ran his first race after the Kettle Moraine six days later, a 77-mile relay race from Mesick, Michigan to Baldwin called the ‘North County Trail Relay.?
‘I ran with Dennis (Keener), and four other people,? he said.
Also on Thornton’s relay team were Manny Tapia from Oxford, Angie Failla from Lake Orion, Jim Hess from Lake Orion, and Denise Bartley from Oxford.
‘Next I plan to do Dances with Dirt, it’s a 50-mile in Hell, Michigan, on Sept. 10,? Thornton said.
After that, he plans to run Oct. 1 in the Arkansas Traveler, a 100-mile race.
To train for the ultra-marathons, Thornton said he does a lot of night running on the local trails.
‘I try to get 30 percent of my miles in on trails,? he said. ‘I do longer runs on the weekends, at least 20 miles.
‘Once a month, I’ll do a back-to-back long run, like four hours Saturday and three hours on Sunday.?
In training for the 100-mile races, Thornton incorporates shorter runs into that schedule. He said he usually runs 5-6 days a week.
He goes through a lot of running shoes: Thornton said he keeps a stock on hand because he wears out a pair of shoes approximately every 350-400 miles.
‘I run 40-50 miles a week, sometimes more, besides the races,? he said. ‘I don’t even know how many shoes I have.?
‘It took me about three months after I started running before I wanted to run,? he said. ‘It’s a big mental transmission you make.?
He advises novice runners to stay optimistic, don’t push themselves too hard, too early, and to believe ‘you can do more than you think you can do.?
‘Set your goals absolutely as high as you want to,? he said. ‘At work, they think it’s crazy. To which I respond, ‘It’s people like me who make them look normal.??
Thornton said he often runs after his daughters go to bed, so he can spend time with his family.
‘When you start getting discouraged, I tell people to get off the roads and onto the trails,? he said. ‘They get all charged up.?