By Derek Richardson
Cavalier Daily Associate Editor
Some world-class athletes challenge themselves and push their bodies to the limit by running in grueling marathons. It is a difficult feat that is beyond the capabilities of most.
But there is a special breed of athlete that doesn't want to stop after a mere 26.2 miles. These athletes are called "ultrarunners," and they compete in races with distances of 50K, 50 miles and 100 miles.
One of these rare athletes is 29-year-old Francesca Conte, a native of Italy and a University Ph.D. candidate.
Presently, she is considered one of the top female ultrarunners in the world. She has competed in a total of nine races, won three of them, and finished in the top three in all except for her latest effort at the 100-mile Western States Endurance Run.
In her latest effort Conte was the fourth female to cross the line at a time of 22 hours and 19 minutes. However, her best time to date in a 100 mile race came in the Arkansas Traveller where she finished the course in an astonishing 18 hours and 59 minutes.
Conte said she loves what ultrarunning has offered her: A greater sense of self-confidence, and the knowledge that comes with such long periods of solitude.
Another bonus for Conte is the beautiful landscapes she gets to run past.
"Being able to cover so much distance on a trail allows me to see places I would never see otherwise. The loneliness of the woods, their beauty and majesty makes all the hard work worth it, during training or during a race," Conte said in a press release.
Not only does Francesca enjoy ultrarunning, but she also excels in it. Her latest fourth place finish was a strong showing in the first leg of the Montrail Ultra Cup, which is a national series of six races that are to determine the best ultrarunners. Conte must now race in three more of the five races in order to qualify for final placement. Of her final three races, one must be at 50K, and the other at 50 miles.
The 50K race should be no problem for Francesca, who first burst onto the ultrarunning scene two years ago with a phenomenal time of 5 hours and four minutes at the Swinging Bridge race.
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