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03/29/2007
In it for the long runTraverse City's Kenny Thomas went from a 5K to this summer's 100-mile ultra raceSpecial to the Record-Eagle 
Kenny Thomas (left) runs around the Traverse City Civic Center with Nate Rousse (black vest). Thomas is training to run in a 100-mile race in Wisconsin this June. TRAVERSE CITY — Kenny Thomas describes himself as an "all or nothing kind of guy.” But even he had no idea that running in a local 5K race with some buddies seven years ago would eventually lead him to train for a 100-mile ultra race, coming up in June. He's running 60 to 70 miles a week to train for the Kettle Moraine 100, including a daily four-mile jaunt from his Traverse City home to his job at Olmsted Products. Thomas wears a backpack with fresh clothes, showers before work and when his workday is over, he runs home along a longer route, often 10 miles or more. "I also love running the Vasa trail,” said the 34-year-old Thomas. "I really like trail running. It's easier on the knees and sometimes road running is kind of boring.” To prep for the 100-miler, Thomas even trains on a treadmill while watching the Pistons on TV. His plan is to build up to 90 miles a week next month, then run in the Fifth-Third 25K race in Grand Rapids on May 12. Then he'll take it easy for three weeks — until the 100-mile ultra race. As a basketball player at Traverse City Senior High School, Thomas hated running, but after that initial 5K, the running bug bit him big-time. He was living a self-described "unhealthy lifestyle” and looked to running as a way to get in shape, both physically and mentally. "I didn't start running until 2000,” recalled Thomas. "A couple of buddies were running in this 5K and I ran with them just for fun. I was really slow.” But since that initial race, Thomas has consistently improved his times and impressed his running companions. "We joke around and say he's kind of a morphological freak,” said Nate Rousse, one of those early 5K buddies who now often trains with Thomas. "He just has a lot of natural potential as a runner.” Paul Marek is another of those early running pals who recognized Thomas' innate running ability. "For the first few races, he seemed sort of a casual runner,” recalled Marek, who has competed in four Ironman Triathlons in the past four years. "We were surprised when he beat his brother, Joey, who was a better runner at the time. Kenny has just added mileage since then. He's a natural, a great athlete who is really driven. He ups the bar for all of us who run with him.” In 2004, after building his endurance in several shorter races, Thomas ran his first marathon — the Bayshore. "It went really well for me,” he remembered, modestly. It went so well that in Thomas' first marathon he qualified for the prestigious Boston Marathon, where he ran a 3:07 in 2006. "A lot of runners go 15 or 20 years and never qualify for Boston,” said Rousse. "And Kenny does it in his first marathon.” "Boston was hard, but fun,” recalled Thomas. "The hills were brutal, a lot of downhill.” While marathons are the ultimate goal for many runners, some like Thomas, feel 26.2-mile events are just not long enough. They feel the need to push themselves to go longer, sometimes a lot longer. Hence, the recent popularity of dozens of ultra races that require finishers to complete 30 miles, 50 miles or more. Some are run on roads, some on trails and some on a combination of the two. A tri-athlete, Rousse feels that participants in ultra events are sometimes mischaracterized by the public for pushing their bodies to the extreme. He'd like to dispel the myth that ultra competitors are strange people. "Really, it's just totally a personal challenge,” said Rousse. "They're not doing it for publicity or to have someone say 'look at me,' but we put ourselves up against it to do our personal best. It's not some glory-seeking event.” Marek agrees. "In our society, it's less than one or two percent who do these ultra events,” he said. "But to us — that's just what we do. It's really quite an achievement to be able to stay at that level of competition.” Last year Thomas completed two 50-mile races, starting with the North Country Trail Run in the Manistee National Forest. He finished a respectable sixth in the field of 70 runners with a time of 8:05. "One of the big things for me is the spiritual aspect of running,” said Thomas, who stresses the support he gets from his friends and family. "It's a spiritual experience that I can't explain. You're out there alone with God for five hours. It's something that you don't get to do every day.” In November, Thomas followed up with an even more remarkable performance in the JFK 50 Mile in Md. where he placed 66th in a field of 1,017 runners. His time was an impressive 7:56, about 40 minutes behind the overall winner. The event made history by becoming the first ultra race to ever attract more than 1,000 runners. The starting line, along the famed Appalachian Trail, posed problems for many runners. "The first 15 miles or so was along the trail and was rocky,” said Thomas. "You really had to watch where you stepped.” The grueling distances of the ultra races — whether they are 50 or 100 mile events — require both physical and mental toughness. Like most competitors in his 50-mile races, Thomas walked to conserve energy during stages of the race. Even with that strength-saving strategy, the 50 long miles sent searing pain through his legs and raised blisters on his feet. "My last mile of the (JFK) 50 was a 15-minute mile,” he remembered. "I had never experienced such pain, such exhaustion.” With the two 50-mile performances behind him, Thomas is looking ahead to the Kettle Moraine 100, set for June 2-3 in Whitewater, in southeastern Wisconsin. While race strategies can change, Thomas' plan is to run the first 50 miles in eight to nine hours, then "go on from there.” In some ways, an ultra race can almost be easier for him than running a marathon, according to Thomas. "When I run a marathon, I really push for 26 miles,” he explained. "For the 50, I plan to run a 9:30, 9:40 mile. It's easier, but a lot, lot longer.” Helping him train for the race are his parents, Tim and Jean Thomas, and his crew chief, 9-year-old son, Avery. They'll be at strategic spots along the 100-mile trail to provide Thomas with a fresh pair of socks and shoes, and large doses of encouragement. "Their support has been incredible,” said Thomas. "Running is healthy and fun and it allows me to be a good role model for my son.” The 100-mile course is run entirely on trails, except for a couple hundred feet of road crossings. Runners will find the trail to be about 80 percent wooded terrain, with the rest meandering through prairie or marsh areas. There will be a roller coaster of hills, with small rocks and roots scattered about. Though the hills are not long or especially steep, they can take a toll on runners who attempt to run them, instead of walking. The course has a total altitude gain of approximately 12,000 feet. In last year's event, 81 runners started and 48 finished the punishing run. The overall winner posted a record time of 18:48:18. "I'm doing it for the experience,” said Thomas. "But I am a competitive person and I'd like to finish and finish well.”
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