The North Face 100: Beyond Running

May 16, 2012, 12:32 pm Gill Dear Yahoo!7

On Saturday 19 May 2012, 900 competitors will race the North Face 100 - a 100km ultra-trail running event in the Blue Mountains, NSW. Banzai caught up with professional ultramarathon runner Ryan Sandes, and first time competitor, Sam Tierney, to find out their best tip for ultramarathon newbies, extreme adventures and what's up next.

Run

Go back to Part 1 - North Face 100: What does it take?

Go back to Part 2 - North Face 100: Training and Nutrition

QUESTION 7. When not competing in ultramarathons, what do you do in your spare time?

[RS]: I am an outdoors person so anything that is outdoors... hanging out on the beach with friends; hiking in the mountains with Vanessa and T-Dog (my girlfriend and dog), mountain biking, having a few beers with mates etc.

[ST]: Sleep....! I love to be outdoors whether it is trail running, riding, mountain-biking, surfing, skin-diving, ocean-swimming, snowboarding, skiing, hiking or just kicking the footy around the park with some mates. I am lucky to have always been surrounded by people who share that love and enjoy the open spaces as much as I do!

Ryan Sandes - cross training is key.

QUESTION 8. What is the most extreme adventure you’ve completed to date?

[RS]: The 4 Desert series was quite extreme but the hardest race I have run was the Leadville 100 miler last year. Running at just under 4000meters was really taxing on my body and running 100 miles in one go was brutal on my legs.

[ST]: Tough question. Being caught behind Tony Abbott (complete with red smugglers) at the 2.8km Palm Beach to Whale Beach ocean-swim would have to be right up there!

QUESTION 9. What are you looking forward to most once the event is over?

[RS] Ribs at Hurricane's Grill Steakhouse in Sydney....

[ST] A beer and not seeing my running shoes for at least a few weeks!

QUESTION 10. Your biggest tip for anyone thinking of doing an ultramarathon is...

[RS] It's all about taking one step at a time and breaking the race down in mini sections that are achievable. Believe in yourself - anything is possible.

[ST] Do it! My two biggest tips would be to start out small (I started with 5km runs!) and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Talk to everyone you can about nutrition, gear, training, strategies and races and you will progress a lot faster.

Sam Tierney is running TNF100 to raise money for VOICE, a humanitarian charity committed to giving a voice to marginalised and disempowered people. To support this charity and give Sam a reason to run harder, visit his fundraising page.