Bryant Knigge into running ultra marathons

After an illustrious high school athletic career at Potter-Dix where he was a standout in basketball and track and field, Bryant Knigge then moved on to standout at the college level in both sports as well, but now he is into a new sporting endeavor. Western State University in Gunnison, Colorado has taken up Ultra Marathon running. Ultra Marathon are any races that are longer than the standard 26 plus mile Marathon. At the time of this writing, Bryant has participated in five Ultras including a 34 mile run at the Zion National Park in Utah, a 62 mile event at the Javeline in Arizona, a 41 mile course at the Grand Traverse from Crested Butte to Aspen, Colorado, and 82 mile run at the Crazy Desert in San Angelo, Texas and this past weekend a 100 mile test at the Lean Horse run in Custer, South Dakota.

The Lean Horse 100 mile event attracted about 75 runners for the full run and an additional 200 for shorter distances. About 40% finished the run, which is about the usual average for the Ultra events, according to Knigge. Bryant completed the entire 100 miles in 28 hours. This means that he ran in daylight and darkness, aided in part by a small light he attaches to his head band. There is a lot of strategy involved along with the physical part of taking your body to a test such as this. "I plot and plan how I will complete the run" said Knigge. "These races have aid stations every 5 to 7 miles where you can partake of food and drink, but on this run I hand carried two bottle of water and figured out how much water and how much Gatorade to drink. I also ate turkey, chips and candy to keep up my strength. It is not unusual to get sick at times along the route" he said.

The route Knigge speaks of during this event was a rugged Michelson Trail in the South Dakota Black Hills. "It was a dirt trail that was very hilly and rugged" Knigge said. It is not all running as Bryant mixes in some power walking at times. "I took about a 15 minute nap at mile 70, but I really never felt very sleepy" he said. "The human body was designed by the greatest engineer of all time. Our bodies can handle a lot. Our bodies stay on auto pilot. One of the main things to be successful is stay mentally on top of things. We need to keep the mental part going".

"Running Ultras teaches us a lot about ourselves, but most importantly, how to be mentally strong. During these races you will hit extremely low points where all you want to do is quit, but you just can't! Our feet, back and legs all hurt, but we keep moving forward, This is a lesson we can apply to all aspects of life, keep moving forward, give it your all, and never quit" Knigge said. "I miss the feeling of shooting 3 pointers but nothing compares to the feeling of crossing the finish line of a 100 mile race" he said.

Knigge went on to say that running the Ultras has taken himself and Regyn to some of the most beautiful places in the country. "We work together helping each other out at different race. Regyn has ran a handful of half marathons and one Ultra , a 31 mile race in San Angelo, Texas and is now training for the Grand Traverse 41 mile race in September" he said. How do you recover from an Ultra race? "The rule is to take a day off from running for every 10 miles of the Ultra you ran in. This means that I will take about 10 days off from running but I will still do some biking and walking" he said. At Gunnison where he and Regyn attend school, they belong to an Ultra running club, complete with a coach, with about 40 runners involved.

Bryant's plans now are to concentrate on helping his wife Regyn get ready for her next race, and we will let you know how the former Regyn Hicks (Knigge) fares in that race, and will also keep you updated on future runs by the rest of the family as father Steve and Aunt Marla have also gotten into running too