(Ultra) Marathon Man

Sept. 7, 2014

Dan Kaupas needed to make some healthier choices.

The Traverse City man decided to take up mountain bike riding after he got busted for drunk driving a few years ago. He was good at it, even without training, so he decided to run a marathon.

Again, he did not train. Yet his time was pretty good: three hours and 46 minutes.

Next, he decided to run an ultramarathon: 100 miles.

For that distance, he needed to train.

A HUNDRED INFAMOUS MILES

Kaupas didn’t settle on just any run-of-the-mill ultramarathon.

Kaupus decided to run the infamous Leadville 100 in Colorado, which he completed Aug. 17.

That race is 100 miles, features rugged off-road mountain terrain, and takes place at elevations between 9,200 and 12,600 feet, where it is extremely difficult to breathe.

Fewer than half of the 700 entrants completed the race.

REMARKABLE RECOVERY

Kaupas nearly died in a car crash at age 12. He suffered a head injury and might not have been able to walk again after that crash, let alone run.

Kaupas, 32, said he brings the same determination to running that he brought to his recovery from those terrible injuries.

He was in physical therapy for years to learn how to walk and move around. He said health effects from the crash linger two decades later.

Kaupas ran his first marathon in 2012. He only gradually learned that he needed to train to become a great runner.

"I didn’t realize I needed to train for a run," he said. "I knew how to run, I figured."

He said he did a few runs prior to that first marathon.

"My girlfriend made me run, like, four times," he said.

DARED TO ENTER THE RACE

Kaupas first learned of Leadville from family who were visiting from Colorado.

Over dinner, cousins told him about the notorious race.

"My dad made a joke, "˜What could he do if he trained? Look how good he does now,’" Kaupas said. "One of my cousins goes, "˜You should come out and do the Leadville.’" That was in 2013. At first, Kaupas thought he could just sign up for the 2013 race and try it with little training. His family disabused him of that notion.

This race requires extensive training.

Also, by then race registration was closed. Registration opens Jan. 1 and fills up almost right away.

Kaupas signed up for this year’s race at 2am on New Year’s Day, when registration opened in Colorado.

SIX DAYS A WEEK

He trained six days a week for Leadville.

He did mid-week runs of eight to 15 miles, "short" six-mile runs on Fridays, and long runs on Saturdays and Sundays of 20 to 30 miles.

Training took up a lot of time and he found himself running a lot in the dark, which was helpful.

"You get used to running at night because, obviously, when you run 100 miles, you run a lot of that at night, he said.

Kaupas said his pace for short runs is 7:20. For long runs, it’s 8:30. At Leadville, he started out running nine-minute miles. At the end of the course, he figures he was doing 17-minute miles.

He said the lack of oxygen caused by high elevation was one of the biggest challenges.

"It’s like an elephant sitting on your chest," he said. "You’re trying to take a deep breath and it just doesn’t allow it."

He used an oxygen deprivation mask while training in Traverse City to learn how to take long, deep breaths.

SOME REST, THEN ANOTHER RACE

Kaupas is not currently in training. He sprained his ankle during the Colorado race and is recovering.

Kaupas has a girlfriend and just bought a house. He doesn’t have kids and he runs a couple of carwashes, a family business.

His finish time at Leadville was 28:52:00, a time he is proud of, because he beat 30 hours. Next, he would like to beat 25.

"That’s three or four years down the road, I think," he said. "I’m happy that I did it. I’m stoked that I finished it."

PEOPLE WANT A TEST

The Leadville race started in 1983, making it one of the oldest ultramarathons in the world. Super long distances have become more popular in the past decade, and in recent years ultramarathons have popped up around Michigan.

Lots of people enter ultramarathons and do not finish.

Running Fit Traverse City store manager Jeff Gaft used to run them until his performance in the races dropped off and he became frustrated.

"I’ve done them. We’re going to talk in past terms," Gaft said. "I’ve been so unsuccessful as of late that I just stopped doing them."

Gaft said he’s seen ultramarathons become very popular in recent years.

What draws people to them? "The person looking for their inner demons," Gaft joked, then added, "People who want to test themselves. After the marathon is successful, then what’s next?"

SOME UPCOMING ULTRAMARATHONS IN MICHIGAN:

SEPTEMBER 20 Dances With Dirt A 50k or 50 mile race in Pinckney, which is between Ann Arbor and Lansing

SEPTEMBER 27 The Hungerford Games A 50-mile race in Big Rapids

OCTOBER 11 Rail Run 100 A 100k race on the North Central State Trail in Gaylord

OCTOBER 25 Bad Apple Ultra in Greenville A 12-hour run on a loop