Hi you have reached Errol "The Rocket" Jones. Please leave a message of sorts after the
beep, and again wait for the tone before you leave your message.
[Music]
First of all you absolutely have to love running first and foremost you simply got to.
Second if you are going to be an ultra runner you gonna have to be able to embrace suffering
because suffering comes with this sport. There's a saying about pleasure being
the child of pain and so that's what you get when you come out here and you take
the kick in the teeth the pleasure comes in having overcome that.
When you talk about really being in touch with yourself this is where it comes into
play for me. In fact any trail anywhere but especially here.
Well the the Bay Area Ridge Trail is pretty
magical idea in my mind. We are in an area here with seven or eight
million people in a pretty dense urban setting and yet within just a few miles of the middle
of a big city you can be out in surroundings like and away from it.
The first time I really ran across him in a material way was on a trail
literally in the middle of nowhere. We kinda stop and looked at each other on the trail
and it was like "Maybe I should know you". It's really kinda remarkable to have you know
such a kindred spirit. I always sort of say "He's the brother I never had".
Probably twenty years we ran twenty or thirty thousand miles together over that
time frame. Probably most special about
ultra running is the camaraderie. It's more than just a sport. It's kind of
a way of life and if you can do it you're part of the family.
When I ran roads and I ran with some guys I was really close but when
the guy went down he was just one less competitor. When this kind of thing
comes up in ultra running everybody stops everybody looks over in
midst competition everybody wants to help. You know because it's us against
the hundred miles and it's not really us against one another.
They are all saying misery love company and so ultra-running breeds compassion. [Laughter]
I have now not finished a hundred miler in three years and I'm very unhappy about that.
I've got a hundred miler coming up which I hope to be my redemption run because
I need it. I gotta finish it to know that I still have it.
I think right now Errol is an icon. He's run all the major
races in this country. There's a thing called the Grand Slam of ultra running
where you run four 100 mile races in about a twelve-week period.
We truly can't imagine a life where we're not running but we all know that time is coming.
I am just got to have to embrace the suffering more 'cause there is no question it is coming.
Life is about suffering. With all the pain you suffer through the pleasure
the real joy comes from when even if you are the last person but you've crossed the line
and you've met your demons out there on the trail and you've over come them.