The Club of 100

(Canadians Who Have Run 100 Ultras... or More!)

** Note:  This list is mostly from memory and a few phone calls and emails.  Pls send me a note to let me know who I've missed or if my numbers are way off! 

Here (I think) are the members of the Canadian Club of 100 as of 18 June 2010:
 

On Deck

There's a lot of anticipation leading up one's 100th ultra.  Questions like, "Which race will it be?", "How will I celebrate it?" and "Who will I tell?"  Friends and family also want to know so they can share in the celebration.

I figure anyone with 90 or more ultras behind them should also be noted on this page.

Here are the people who are close to earning membership in the Club:
 

Objective

This page acknowledges the accomplishments of Canadian athletes who have
run 100 ultramarathons or more.
 

Background

The most common definition of an ultramarathon is that it is a run that is longer than the standard 42.195 kilometers (26.2188 mi) marathon distance.  An ultramarathoner, or ultrarunner, is someone who runs these distances.

Ultramarathoners are a rare breed.  Running distances longer than the marathon is not the type of behavior that would generally be considered "normal" or mainstream, so ultrarunners just do what they do and usually don't make much noise about it.  For the most part, only ultramarathoners who know each other know of each other's accomplishments.  As well, some ultramarathoners are content to keep their personal accomplishments to themselves.  That's a shame, because running an ultramarathon is a significant achievement that deserves recognition and running 100 of them is truly exceptional.

Given the huge geography of Canada and the fact that ultrarunning is generally focused on regions and regional running series, it's tough for ultrarunners at one end of the country to keep track of those at the other end.  That's also a shame because there's a special fraternity around ultrarunning that transcends age, gender, language, politics, financial circumstances and the other things that divide people. 

As I approach a personal lifetime achievement milestone of completing 100
ultramarathons, I wanted to identify and acknowledge the accomplishments of my peers.  It's as if I feel a need to ask their recognition of my accomplishments before I join this exclusive fraternity.

I found it difficult to identify who has gone before me and who is close at my heels.  To that end, I have created this page for current members of the Club of 100, those who aspire to be in the Club and for any family, friends or media people who care about this kind of stuff. 

I'd also love to see this page become a place where those who care to discuss and debate topics like "What counts as an ultra?"   Some day, it might even be a place where the ultramarathon achievements of all Canadians are showcased... but not for now.

What Qualifies as an Ultramarathon?
 

If this is page is to become an "official" count, there has to be agreement as to what counts for the count.  With reference to the comment below, I put this question out to some ultrarunning friends a while back.  There clearly are some grey areas, but we generally agreed:

• It has to be an ultra.  The event must be longer than the official 42.195 kilometer marathon distance to count.
• You have to finish the distance you set out to run.  It doesn't matter if 99 kilometers was actually run. If that distance was run in a 100-kilometer race, it doesn't count!  DNF's (Did Not Finish) don't count.
• It has to be your race.  It has to be an event you are registered for and are doing a set ultra distance in.  Pacing doesn't count.
• One ultra per race.  If it's a stage run or a cross country run, it counts as one ultra, not 3 or 5 or 50, even though there may be an ultra run each day.
• It has to be organized.  To be claimed, the event should be organized, have had at least 2 people in it and there is some "official" record, such as a webpage.  Training runs don't count.  

While not a criteria for the count, the runs that are being counted should be documented somewhere where those who doubt the accuracy of the claim can be satisfied.

Membership in the Club of 100

This Club is open to all Canadians who run ultramarathons.  (Yeh, sure, if you're a landed immigrant or on an  H1 visa, you count, too, if you're happy to be identified as a Canuk.)  There are no membership dues, t-shirts, belt buckles or certificates... membership is simply an honorary recognition of accomplishment.  You can nominate yourself.  You can nominate a friend or family member.

Updates and Score-keeping

To get on the list, either add a comment to this page or send an email to eanjackson (at) gmail.com.

I'd like to see this Club be totally self-supporting in a way that the people who are in the Club or on deck can update their accomplishments throughout the year.  Until I can figure out how to best do that, I'll make updates to the list manually every 6 months or so after the members and ultra counts have been confirmed.  I will note the date of the last update when I do it.

If you would like to list the ultras you have completed, Club Fat Ass will provide a webpage for you on this site at no cost.  As an example, here's mine.  Let me know if you want one and I'll get you some help to set it up. Otherwise, send a link to the page where your races are listed.

Kooky things like this often get picked up by the media.  If you'd like, I can get you help to set up a little bio page and photo, as well.  As an example, here's mine.

Run long and prosper!

Ean Jackson
North Vancouver, Canada