Have you ever wondered . . .
what the sleep schedule of an ultramarathon athlete looks like? Here’s a glimpse:
Around 1:30 a.m. this morning, I had crawled into the back of my car for the night when there came a knock at the window. Standing outside were Tad and His Dad, seeking refuge en mi casita de automóvil.
I’m not gonna lie. The stench emanating from the trail warriors just about made me gag, but I turned my head away as we squished together like three bugs in a rug, and I think we all fell fast asleep in record time. I slept so soundly that I did not stir when they crept back out into the dead of night to continue their incredible journey a mere hour later.
Let’s do some quick math to calculate how much sleep they’ve had since they woke up Friday morning around 5 a.m.
Friday: 30-minute nap around 11:00 p.m. before starting the race at midnight.
Saturday: 45-minute siesta around 5:15 p.m. to escape the hottest part of the day.
Sunday: 1-hour slumber around 1:30 a.m.
They estimate that they will finish their race on Monday, around 3:30 a.m. If accurate, they will have slept only 2 hours and 15 minutes over the course of three days, all while completing an arduous 125-mile journey on foot. Does that mean they are tough, or does it mean they are crazy? Both, I think.
