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Olin Berger ’03
Ultramarathon Runner, U.S. Trail Team Champion 01
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or some runners, the distance of a traditional marathon—26.2 miles—is just not long enough. They prefer the ultramarathon, which is any race that exceeds the 26.2 mile distance. Olin Berger ’03 tackles footraces that are 50 miles and more. To date, his longest race has been 100 miles “in one go”—the Cascade Crest Endurance Run over the pass to Eastern Washington.
Last year, Olin competed as a member of the U.S. Trail Team in the 2018 Trail World Championships in Penyagolosa/Castellón, Spain, against 48 other countries. He joined the U.S. team of six women and six men to run the 50-mile, point-to-point course that went from sea level in the city of Castellón to the elevation of Sant Joan de Penyagolosa Mountain. The course, predominantly uphill, climbed to a maximum height of 1500 meters above sea level. The top three U.S. finishers scored for the team in each gender division. “I scored for the men’s team,” says Olin, who finished third. “I ran a good race.”
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Integrity and Commitment Olin grew up playing soccer, and in Upper School at Northwest, it became apparent he was suited for endurance running. “At the end of those games I was still running up and down the field,” recalls Olin. “I was on one of the first track teams at Northwest and a light bulb went off – oh this is what I am good at.” Olin praises Humanities teacher Jeff Blair, the school’s soccer coach at the time, for providing a role model for athletic discipline and good sportsmanship. “Jeff was always fully committed—he had high expectations for everyone,” recalls Olin. “He was not only out there running, he was out there ahead of you. Jeff taught us that it was not only about how you play the game but how you conduct yourself off the field. The integrity should always be there, even if it is unstated. It is never purely about the game itself.”
Finding a Work-life Balance On the academic front, Olin attended college at the University of Washington, earning a BA in Comparative History of Ideas, and then proceeded on to graduate school at Columbia University, earning his MPA in Environmental Studies in the Sustainability Management Program. His passion for sustainability led him to do a fellowship with the Environmental Defense Fund, and he spent a summer in Chicago participating in an energy efficiency project. It was there that he came to the conclusion he was not the right fit for the day-to-day work in the field. “All day was spent with my head in spreadsheets, analyzing light bulbs,” recounts Olin. “It was a lot of very technical analysis.” Instead, Olin returned to Seattle and is now applying his environmental values to his work at Seattle’s Central Co-op, a community-owned natural foods cooperative dedicated to sustainable practices and strong relationships with Washington farmers and artisans.
