LAND RUN 50K ULTRAMARATHON
Discover the story as narrated on the old LR100 site:
In 2014, Arthur Elias decided to do something epic: run the whole Land Run course.
At the Riders Meeting on the Friday night before the race, it was pouring rain when close to 400 people gathered to count down the start of Arthur’s run at 7pm. It was electric, indescribable, to watch someone take on what seemed an impossible task.
A text message from Arthur after 9 hours on the course revealed that he had rolled his ankle and had been walking for the last 15 miles. It was swollen, and he feared permanent injury. He made it through 40 miles of that first attempt before deciding to cut his run short. That night he vowed to return in 2015 to try again, and he did.
Once again, the weather conspired to foil Arthur’s attempt at a true Land RUN 100, but he prevailed. On the afternoon of race day, a photo surfaced of him crossing the halfway point. Inspiring stories of Arthur sightings were commonplace among the riders who crossed the finish line. At mile 80, he texted race organizers to report that he was experiencing a high he had never known before and that he was having the most amazing experience of his life. Later that night, after the last bike rider had crossed the finish line, race organizers began packing up for the street to reopen at 11pm; a half hour later, Arthur had reentered Stillwater city limits.
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. That night Arthur accomplished something that no one – except for himself – had dreamed could happen at the Land Run 100.
Upon achieving a goal set for himself almost two years previously, one of the first things he said was, “I want to race others next year.”
The Land Run 50K was born right then and there.
In 2016, thanks in large part to Arthur’s efforts as a promoter and organizer, more than 30 runners assembled at the start line. There were more than 100 runners signed up for the 2018 event. The presence of endurance runners at the Land Run has already created the Land Run Double, and there’s no telling how things will develop in the future with crazier, inspiring people like Arthur coming out to make themselves a part of it.
