Interview with Scott Kummer 1) Tell us what motivated you to start running ultras. I had been a marathon and half marathon runner for several years when I discovered ultra running through a book by Mishka Shubalay called “The Long Run.” After reading it, I checked out some of the group runs with New Leaf Ultra Runs. After meeting all of the interesting people and the crazy group events they participated in, I became instantly hooked! 2) Describe the ultra running scene in your hometown of Chicago and the surrounding area. There are a surprisingly large number of ultra runners in my area. There are several different groups including Flatlanders, New Leaf Ultra Runs, and McHenry Ultra Dudes and Dudettes. There are a surprising number of places to train and people to train with. Plenty of people to learn from and get motivated with. 3) You helped create an ultra running group called Flatlanders. Can you provide our audience some insight as to the function of the group and the successes that you’ve witnessed from those participating? Flatlander Ultrarunners in Chicagoland. We have over 300 members from all around the Midwest and beyond. We run together most Saturdays at Palos – Bullfrog Lake on a roughly 9 mile loop. We also have occasional Sunday fun runs that “float” from location to location. From time to time we run all night at “TGIF” overnight runs and participate in other random adventures. Put it this way…if you hang with us you will probably get your miles in. The primary function of the group is to connect people to each other to run, crew, and pace ultras in the Midwest. The group has exploded. I couldn’t be happier with the interest level and results. Any ultra runner should feel free to join our Facebook Group. We have members from coast to coast. 4) You were a pacer at this past year’s Indiana Trail 100 and paced multiple runners, which I thought was impressive and very giving. What satisfaction do you get from helping a friend and fellow ultra runner cross the finish line? Pacing might be one of the best ways to both give back to the sport and learn about running. I always gain more than I lose when I pace. Also, the satisfaction you get from seeing someone achieve their goal is unparalleled. Anyone that has not paced someone running 100 should try it. It’s amazing! 5) You’re a prolific runner and have raced all over the country (and world) this year. Besides the realization that you have a very supportive and understanding wife, what have these events taught you about yourself? I think the best takeaway I have from running this year is that I have many incredible friends who are like an extended family to me. Many of them I have never met. People join that community every day. Through the process I also gain a much better idea of who I am. I often say to people “you’ll meet a lot of interesting people in ultra running, one of them is YOU.” 6) What’s been your favorite race to date and why? My favorite race to date has been the San Juan Solstice 50 Mile. It was the most beautiful and difficult race I have ever participated in. It was hard on a whole different level. I have never been as immersed in nature as I was in that race. That being said, I failed miserably and DNF’ed at mile 15. You better believe I’ll be back again. And Again. I am attracted to beautiful places and things that are too hard for me. I may end up in a toxic relationship with it! 7) You were going to run the Angeles Crest 100 last month but unfortunately were unable to due to injury. Explain to our group how it feels to miss a 100 mile race you trained hard for. I was devastated to be a DNS at AC100. It is my dream race and I had many friends participating. I had already paid my airfare. As luck would have it, I suffered a hip injury about a month before the race. Regrettably, I couldn’t get ready for it. My entire year was centered around AC, but sometimes we have to realize that we are human and do the right thing. I spent the day watching the results and yelling at the screen instead. I know that I want to run ultras for many years. To do that I can’t run injured. It was a bitter pill to swallow. 8) You’re going to join us and run the 100 miler in next year’s Indiana Trail 100. For those that have not participated before, how would you describe the event? I saw first-hand how the Indiana Trail 100 is a great event this past year. It felt like a family reunion for me, with all of my Midwest ultra friends either on the trail running or pacing, or crewing back in the tent. The course was really nice and perfect for a first 100 miler. There is also a bell at the last aid station the runners can ring. I’m going to save it until my last loop! I knew when I did my first loop out there that I’d be back again. 9) I can’t think of anyone that is contributing more to the growth of Midwest ultra running right this minute than you. What are your long-term aspirations with ultra running, in terms of running and helping it grow? My main running aspiration is to run the Hardrock 100 someday. Due to the fact that it is so difficult to qualify and re-qualify, as well as the very small number of people that get picked in the lottery, this may take many years. I look forward to enjoying all of the qualifiers along the way. In terms of ultra running generally – I was involved in the formation of the Flatlanders, which was created in an effort to advance ultra running in the Midwest through runners without anyone having a financial interest. The main purpose of Flatlanders is to connect people to help run ultras, as well as crew and pace ultras. We have no fees, no costs, no owners, shareholders or officers. No one makes any money off of it. There are many running groups popping up that focus on certain localities and/or distances. We started Flatlanders so that people would have a no-nonsense group about trail and ultra running. I’m proud of what it is becoming. 10) If you could give one piece of advice to someone running their first 50 or 100 miler, what would it be? The most concise advice I have ever received is: “In the first half don’t be an idiot; in the second half don’t be a wimp.” (Jimmy Dean Freeman, quoting, The Little Red Book of Running). The best original advice I could give is to find someone who seems to know what they are doing and offer to crew or pace them. You can read as many books as you want about running these distances….none of them compare to being involved in it first-hand and seeing what people go through, what works and doesn’t, suffering, how people adjust to adversity and the like! My final piece of advice is to run with love and not fear. Don’t be afraid of failing, throwing up, crying, embarrassing yourself and/or the dreaded DNF. If you focus on that stuff you might succeed but you’ll have no fun. Instead, look around…take the experience in….LOVE the fact that you are trying to do something most people could never even imagine doing! I’d rather fall flat on my face while loving what I am doing than succeed out of a fear of failure.
Posted on: Mon, 25 Aug 2014 23:37:53 +0000
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