The Story of the LAND RUN 50K ULTRAMARATHON
The Land Run 50K Ultramarathon was born thanks to the crazy initiative of one man: Arthur Elias.
In 2014, Arthur decided to take on the incredible, almost unimaginable challenge of running the entire Land Run 100 on foot.
On the Friday night before the race, 400 people came out to count at the start of the race. The rain was pouring down, but everyone was there, with a mixture of admiration, surprise and excitement, to see whoever decided to run the race take on this seemingly impossible challenge.
Unfortunately, after 9 hours of race, a text message from Arthur is received. This one indicates that he sprained his ankle and that he walked for the last 15 miles. Arthur saw his ankle swelling and was afraid of injuring it too badly, he wanted to avoid an irreversible problem. He had to give up. During this attempt, Arthur covered 40 miles. Already a small exploit.
Strong of his experience, Arthur did not want to finish it, he swore to come back next year to try his luck again. And he did.
Once again, the weather tried to derail Arthur’s attempt at a true Land RUN 100, but he pulled through.
At the 80th kilometer, the organizers received a text message from Arthur telling them that he was in a state of euphoria that he was experiencing for the first time: he was living the most incredible experience of his life.
A group of 20 or so waited in front of District Bicycles for him to make the last turn from Duck St. onto 7th Ave. A roll of toilet paper was used to stretch a finish line across the street for Arthur to cross.
He finished the 107-mile dirt course at 11:45pm, having run for almost 29 hours without sleep.
Arthur had done the impossible and achieved what no one before him had imagined. He had waited almost two years before he could do it, and one of the first things he shared when he arrived was his desire to participate in the next editions: “I want to race the next few years”. One of the craziest moments in the history of the race had just happened.
That’s how the Land Run 50K was born.
The following year, Arthur participated in the promotion and organization of the event, and it is thanks to him that the start of a 50K race respecting the spirit of the LR100 is given. Thus in 2016, 30 runners started this new race of the event. Since then, the race has grown and now has all its registration slots filled, limited to 100 people from all over the country.
Very quickly, other crazy people wanted to go beyond the limits and thus run the ultramarathon, but also ride the 100 miles of the Land Run, all in the same edition. The Land Run Double challenges the most audacious, but we do not know how things will evolve, the race is run by many high-level endurance runners, and the mark that Arthur has left will surely inspire others for even crazier projects. See you for the next ones.
The 50K
Discover the route:
The Double
After an overwhelming number of people requested to register for both the 50K run and the 100-mile bike ride, the Land Run Double was born. Those attempting the Double will run the 50K first, and then line up with the mass start on the next morning for the 100-mile bike event.
