Could you picture yourself running 25 miles, 50 miles or maybe even 100 miles in one day? If you can’t imagine yourself running through various terrains, on trails and up and down mountains, you most likely can’t imagine a Voorhees resident running the distance.
Miriam Gilbert’s recent race was the 16th annual 24 Hour Around the Lake Race. The race had four options from which to choose– the 24 hour ultra, 12 hour ultra, 24 hour relay and a full marathon. Gilbert, 53, decided to run the 24-hour race. She managed to run 83.32 miles in 22 hours, 10 minutes and 31 seconds.
“I came in third in the women’s open,” Gilbert said.
Ultra running consists of races that are longer than the typical marathon. Usually, a traditional marathon is approximately 26 miles.
For Gilbert, training is as simple as her favorite activities. Hiking, trail running and gardening are her race training methods, but running is more than being physically fit.
Gilbert’s husband, son and daughter are there for all of her races supporting her by becoming her pacers and crew.
“I don’t know if I could do it without them,” said Gilbert. “I ran my first half marathon when my son was 6 months old. He is 21 now.”
Lacing up her running shoes, Gilbert is an ultra-runner. She does not let anything slow her down. A few years ago, Gilbert was diagnosed with myelopathy of the spinal cord as a result of B12 deficiency, she said.
“It made me stronger, and after that I needed to know I could still run the 50 miles,” Gilbert said.
She tested herself race after race. Each race brought another sense of accomplishment for her.
Running more than the traditional marathon’s distance is a hobby for Gilbert, but it’s a hobby that she discovered while she ran only 5K and 10K races.
“I started with 5ks and then 10Ks and half marathons. I think I must have run 12 half marathons and [ran nine marathons] and then I happened to be watching ’60 Minutes’ one night and there was a story on ultra-running. That of course piqued my interest,” Gilbert said.
That particular “60 Minutes” episode featured Dean Karnazes, an American ultra-marathon runner and author of “Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-night runner.”
Gilbert was inspired by Karnazes’ interview and immediately started researching ultra-marathons.
“I didn’t know what I was looking for. But the closest one started in Boonsboro, MD. It was the JFK 50 mile,” Gilbert said.
The first 14 miles started on the Appalachian Trail. Each runner had 15 hours to complete the race, but Gilbert wanted to finish the 50 miles run in 14 hours and 59 minutes. Instead, Gilbert finished her first 50 mile ultra-marathon in 12 hours and 42 minutes.
“It was all a new experience for me because here in South Jersey there is no such thing as trails, everything is flat,” said Gilbert. “So I just went into the unknown and I got hooked.”
She does not stop running. Gilbert tries to run three times during the week after work, and, on the weekend, she sets aside times for her longer runs. During the races Gilbert walks for 3 minutes and runs for 15 minutes.
Gilbert also keeps a log of how many miles she runs a day along with her time. She could probably tell you how many training miles she has run since 2005. Her total training miles since her first ultra-marathon, the JFK 50 mile race is 4,736 miles.
She is planning to run the Pennsylvania 100 in Fairmount Park next year.
“All I know is to put on my shoes and run,” Gilbert said.
