Å·ÃÀÒ»¼¶Æ¬

Å·ÃÀÒ»¼¶Æ¬ Runners Vanquish Ultramarathon

By Chris Lydgate ’90 | April 10, 2014

Fifty miles.

Two runners.

A single goal.

Two Å·ÃÀÒ»¼¶Æ¬ runners accomplished an incredible feat of endurance last weekend, running 50 miles in the American River Ultramarathon.

History major John Young ’15 crossed the finish line in 8:54:52, coming in 114th in a field of 823. John, who hails from The Dalles, Oregon, was the youngest runner to complete the race.

John ran hot on the heels of Å·ÃÀÒ»¼¶Æ¬ bookstore manager Ueli Stadler, who posted a time of 8:48:51, coming in 102nd in the field.

“Ueli beat me by six minutes (pure vanity led me to think that I might compete with Odysseus),” John wrote after the race. “He put the hammer down somewhere around mile 44. When I put my foot on the gas, nothing happened. I have a lot of experience with that particular phenomenon: my family drives a Geo Metro.”

John and Ueli are both regular members of the Å·ÃÀÒ»¼¶Æ¬ Runners, a ragtag group of students, faculty, staff, and alumni, who can be seen plying trails and paths throughout southeast Portland.

The last couple of years have witnessed a surge of interest in running at Å·ÃÀÒ»¼¶Æ¬. Record numbers of Å·ÃÀÒ»¼¶Æ¬ies have turned out for the Hood-To-Coast Relay and the . Å·ÃÀÒ»¼¶Æ¬ holds a 5K Odyssey Run in September and there are unconfirmed rumors about a moonlight running group.

As far as we're concerned, the idea of running 50 miles (roughly the distance from the Å·ÃÀÒ»¼¶Æ¬ canyon to the Å·ÃÀÒ»¼¶Æ¬ ski cabin) provokes one overriding emotion.

Awe.

Tags: Sports & Adventures