UMA Cross Country Coach wins Last Man Standing Ultramarathon
NEW GLOUCESTER, ME-- Three miles into the 20th lap, Coach Brendan Gilpatrick took a look behind his shoulder in an attempt to see the last competitor still in the race to be the “Last Man Standing”.
NEW GLOUCESTER, ME -- Three miles into the 20th lap, Coach Brendan Gilpatrick took a look behind his shoulder in an attempt to see the last competitor still in the race to be the “Last Man Standing.” When he could not see him, Coach Gilpatrick decided to speed up in order to find out if he was in fact the last runner, in a race in which he had already completed 83 miles in roughly 19 hours. When he approached the end of the 20th lap, friends and family greeted him with cheers as he became the 2017 Last Man Standing, setting a course record for furthest distance (84 miles).
The Last Man Standing Ultramarathon is a unique race in which runners begin a new race every hour. Each loop is a 4.2 mile trail in which they have an hour to complete, however both endurance and strategy play a large role. The race starts at noon and continues on throughout the night until there is only one runner remaining. The Last Man Standing website describes the race rules as follows: “Racing starts at 12 noon on Saturday with a shotgun start. Men and women will complete the course at whatever pace they choose, but they MUST complete the loop in less than 60 minutes! Those that complete the course in under an hour will earn the right to continue. The next gun start is at 1pm. Same loop, same rules apply. The race continues in this format until there is only one athlete remaining (standing). The lone athlete must be standing at the starting line ready for the next start to be declared the Last Man Standing and the winner.”
This year, Coach Gilpatrick completed the race at 7:46 a.m. after running throughout the night. He spent a total of 16 hours and 13 minutes running. He also notched the fastest loop of the race, 30:42. Coach Gilpatrick has been running ultramarathons for the past ten years and has competed in Spain, Portugal, Canada, as well as in Hawaii, New York, Washington, Massachusetts, Texas, Utah, Maine, Vermont, and New Jersey.
“Coach Gilpatrick’s passion for running has truly made an influence on our student-athletes here at UMA,” boasts Athletic Director Jennifer Laney. “It shows in our team numbers this year with substantial growth from last year, simply because student-athletes feed off of his energy and competitiveness.”