Massanutten Mountain Trails 100 Mile run ... Here I Come!

Ultra marathon runners fascinate me.

The ones I have met since I began working on my photography project have impacted me deeply in ways I never expected. Like many people who don't understand why anyone would run 100 miles for a belt buckle, I thought they had to be at least a little crazy. For the most part, the ultra marathon runners I have encountered are some of the nicest people I have ever met. An example: I stayed awake the entire 36 hours photographing the MMT 100 this year. I just couldn't bring myself to sleep or to stop shooting. Watching these people deplete themselves, some to the point of 1000 yard stares for miles, I just had to keep shooting, and moving, and shooting some more. Watching these runners accomplish such an unbelievable journey through those mountains was one of the most incredible things I have ever witnessed. ROCKY times 100 and I love me some ROCKY.


So there I was, exhausted and still snapping away at runners in different stages of pain or exhilaration - and a lot of both - when a runner comes up to me and says, "You were out there all night taking pictures. You were everywhere. You must be exhausted, can I get you a drink or something to eat?" That explained a lot to me about ultra marathon runners.

I had recurring thoughts during my experience shooting the MMT 100 . Could I do this? Do I have it in me to be like these people? But mostly, with every person I snapped crossing the finish line, the thought was, 'what does that feel like?' Capturing that feeling in a photograph is in the eyes for me. Seeing the eyes of ultra runners before and after 100 miles led to my before and after portrait project. A series I look forward to continuing and growing.

A photograph has always held the answer for me. Mostly in portraits because it's the gestures of people that interest me. My camera is and has been my key to open the doorways of the unknown. This time it's different for me.

I am going to run the Massanutten Mountain Trails 100 Mile run May, 16th 2009. Some people have asked me "Why?" I don't know how to answer that. I really don't.

I know this.

Somewhere inside of me is the courage to try. Somewhere inside of me I feel like a kid again watching ROCKY for the 100th time and crying because ROCKY wouldn't go down because he refused to be just another bum from the neighborhood. Maybe I am running 100 miles to find some self esteem. Maybe I am looking for something spiritual and I hope to find it running up and down a mountain for 100 miles and the many, many training miles I will run to get to the starting line. I really don't why.

I do know this. Running 100 miles is the simplest task of finding out who I really am.