"More than the Miles" (Run Washington)

By Rachael Burke

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All runners know how to carry their own weight. It is our burden and our gift. But the ultra-runner sometimes carries more. More water, more food—just more. Sometimes this is a requirement, sometimes a choice. Either way, you can learn a lot about a long distance runner by what he carries.

Christopher Murrer has learned how to carry a heavy load: 25 pounds, packed neatly inside a deceptively small, black and yellow backpack. Right now, it’s filled with rice, a common trick for ultra-runners looking to simulate pack weight on their training runs.

But Feb. 16 to 22, just as RunWashington is going to print, the rice will be replaced with necessities, and Chris will have left his Washington D.C., home to embark on a sixday, 155-mile trek across the desert as he runs the entirely self-supported 2014 Sahara Race (Jordan).

His route begins in Wadi Rum, Jordan, where he will journey through four distinct Arabian deserts (Wadi Rum, Kharaza, 60 | RUNWASHINGTON | RUNWASHINGTON.COM | MARCH APRIL 2014

Humaima and Wadi Araba). For the first four days, he will cover between 22 and 25 miles per day, making his way to a mandatory nightly check-in camp. Day five involves 56 miles in 24 hours. The final day is a 3.1-mile “victory lap” to the finish line in the ancient city of Petra.

The “self-support” requirement of the Sahara Race is a unique and challenging feature, particularly because the desert is an untested environment for Chris. Unlike crewed or supported endurance races in which food, clothing changes, bedding, and pacers can be provided, he is entirely responsible for his own needs for the duration of the challenge and must carry all of it from start to finish.

Water is supplied every six miles and he is given a minimalist tent to sleep in: everything else is his to haul.

There was a time in his life when the concept of running so far or being so physically self-supported wasn’t a realistic possibility. While in law school, Chris was

active, but his life lacked the passion and rhythm of a true runner. In 2008, after years of neglectful overuse, the arch of his left foot collapsed, leaving him with a flipper-like appendage.

“I struggled with my foot for several years,” he says, “I hadn’t taken care of it, but I didn’t expect it to hurt like it did. There was just this devastating pain.”

After his injury, he painfully managed his malfunctioning limb until finally deciding to undergo a comprehensive arch reconstruction surgery. His hopes were high. He says, “I swore to myself that if my foot worked after this, I would make sure I used it to its full potential.”

Maybe there is a reason it’s called the “road to recovery.”

“Well, this whole [running] thing started out as what I call an ‘exercise binge’ after having surgery on my foot,” he explains. “At first, I could barely run a 5k. The pain was just excruciating. I had to walk it. But it kept getting better, so I signed up for a sprint

triathlon. That went ok. I thought, ‘Why not run a marathon?’ Once my foot started getting better, I promised myself I would run as much as I could and be grateful for every minute of it. At least now I could run.”

In 2011, Chris completed his first marathon. From there, he began venturing into ultra distance challenges. By 2012, he had conquered the Lake Placid Ironman. His athletic resume now includes six marathons, two Half Ironmans, two Ironmans, 24-hour obstacle races, several Tough Mudders, a swim across the Chesapeake (4.4 miles), and a JFK 50 Miler.

But he has never run across a desert. And he has never had to carry so much so far.

“Has that really stopped any of us?” Chris asks, “It’s an adventure. We’re all kind of like that. We’ve all done things outside of our comfort zone. For me, it just happens to be this. If you aren’t a little bit scared of it, you aren’t doing it right.”

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Chris Murrer gets used to sand in the long jump pit at Washington-Lee High School.

Photo by Sara Alepin

endurance challenges a bit different—fear can be a useful component. Not fear of failure. (“I think I’ll be able to finish,” Chris says grinning, fingers crossed.) Not fear of pain. (“I’m sure something’s going to hurt. Something I haven’t thought of,” he says, matter of factly.)

The difference is in knowing that if you do not use that fear to prepare well, you will come face to face with something you haven’t learned to fear—and that’s dangerous.

So you make a plan. You train to keep moving on your own two feet, even if one of those feet has failed you in the past. As Chris says, “Once you convince yourself you can do it—or you should—you have to keep going. I think all of us who run long distances feel this way. In life, there are so many roadblocks— people making decisions for you or telling you that you can’t do something or you have to do something. When I started running long, it was the first time I was the only one making the decision, saying I don’t have to stop. I can go farther as long as I say that I want to.”

For Chris, learning how to “self-support” has meant returning to the training basics while creating strategies that make his running more effective and efficient. Fully preparing for the Sahara Race has also meant examining why he is running in the first place.

A typical week for Chris consists of 1417 hours of training, with 8-10 of those hours logged on the weekend. Much of that spent running on the Potomac Heritage Trail, the C&O Towpath, and around the National Mall.

“I worry more about time than distance,” he explains. “I don’t completely ignore my distance, but I’m more focused on the time I’m spending on my feet each week.”

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hour-long runs and weight-bearing treadmill climbs. “It’s pretty flat around here, so I have to get hills in somehow,” he explains. He also cross-trains with resistance cycling and TRX workouts to recover and develop supporting muscle groups.

The backbone of Chris’s training, however, has been his back-to-back weekend long runs (roughly five hours each). This increases his endurance and simulates the compound fatigue of a multi-day event. In contrast with a single, longer run (10-12 hours, for example) the potential for injury is drastically decreased with an overnight recovery. Throughout these runs, the black and yellow pack never leaves his back.

“Everything I’ve done training-wise has revolved around my backpack,” he explains.

“It’s kind of funny. I thought with all the running I was going to do, I was going to lose a lot of weight. But I’ve probably put on five or six pounds. I think its just muscle from carrying the pack. My shoulders and back get really sore sometimes, so I’ve had to learn to deal with that. It kind of reminds me of when I first started running. It’s like earth’s gravity has increased. It takes me forever to get somewhere.”

If you suggest to Chris that he simply lighten the load, he would love to take your advice. He isn’t a masochist. But much of what he must carry is a requirement of the Four Deserts racing commission, tools of survival and self-rescue.

Only a few of the items on the required list: a sleeping bag, a survival bivvy bag (a tiny little tent), two headlamps, a flashlight, a signaling mirror, alcohol (the rubbing kind, not the drinking kind), a whistle, a jacket, a long sleeve shirt, a poncho, toilet tissue/wet wipes, a knife, salt-tablets, and nationality patches.

“Logistically, it’s kind of a pain,” he says, laughing, when discussing the concept of carrying all the essentials, but he understands the need to pack smart.

Not everything is included on the list, however, and this presents one of the biggest challenges. For example, there is no mention of preparing for or dealing with sand for six days with no shower access and no convenient first-aid tent nearby to tend to damaged feet.

This is where creativity can save a D.C. runner like Chris, when carrying something very small can make a big difference: “We should bring super-glue. A little frontier medicine!” he says.

One thing Chris knows he needs is calories. A lot of them. “I’ll pack a vial of olive oil. I don’t really pack Gu,” he says. “It’s not an efficient way to carry calories. I also plan on carrying a lot of dehydrated meals. Beef jerky, pepperoni, Parmesan cheese. Stuff like that. I know it sounds weird, but whatever works. I think my strong stomach is my best feature. I can eat about anything and be ok.”

In training, Chris enjoys the same freedom: “I pretty much eat what I want. I don’t follow any kind of plan. I’m a pretty unstructured guy, so being able to eat what I want when I want works well.” Certainly, adaptability is necessary: His ability to eat then move on his feet is a talent many distance runners would envy. But more than that, Chris—a tax attorney by profession— has had to remain flexible in order to maintain efficiency in his daily life as well.

“I build running around my life,” he says, “not life around my running. It’s like, ‘I get to run today!’ I mean, don’t get me wrong, I eat dinner over my sink at midnight sometimes, but you do what you have to.”

Still, for many, hours of training and

midnight dinners over the sink might present a somewhat stereotypical image of the lone, long distance runner. As he admits, “Running is inherently solitary.” But his motivation for running the Sahara Race 2014 has meant giving support, finding support, and reframing the idea of running with a purpose.

In 2011, while training for the Pittsburgh Marathon, Chris met Ian Rosenberger, who had volunteered in Haiti after the island nation’s devastating 2010 earthquake. While in Haiti, Ian met Tassy Fils-aime, a young survivor who needed life-saving, but prohibitively expensive surgery. Ian brought Tassy to the United States, fundraising and advocating on his behalf until Tassy received the surgery he required. In an effort to provide continual and comprehensive financial aid that would ultimately allow Haitian families to self-support, Team Tassy was born.

For Chris and Ian (who will both be running the Sahara Race 2014 on behalf of Team Tassy), being able to carry the philosophy of Team Tassy across the desert makes them stronger runners. “It helps when you can point to actual people you are helping,” Chris says, “It resonates more. It feels more compelling. You know these are the people I am helping. They all have the potential—they just need a boost.”

In preparing for the Sahara Race 2014, Chris has learned he can’t carry just himself.

Whether it’s the name of a friend, an extra bit of muscle, or another drop of olive oil, he needs more to make it. But maybe the “more” Chris knows he needs most is something he will have to go to the desert to find: “Your goal always seems like a mirage. I just need the feeling of being the only thing stopping myself. So I don’t give up.”

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