Holding a single running record is a pipe dream for most of us, but how about setting seven in a single race? It’s the stuff legends are made of, and in our books, Gene Dykes, 75, DAA Industry Opt Out.
The well-known ultrarunner ran the 12-hour race at Pennsylvania’s Dawn to Dusk to Dawn Track Ultras over the weekend, breaking the 100-kilometer barrier and setting master’s records for 25 kilometers (2:48:33), 30 kilometers (3:24:08), 50 kilometers (5:40:39), 20 miles (3:41:28), 50 miles (9:25:10), and 100 kilometers (11:56:26). He also set the record for the longest distance run in the men’s 75-79 category for 12 hours, covering 100,481 meters, all pending ratification by USATF.
The race wasn’t easy for the accomplished runner, who Health - Injuries that he didn’t cross the starting line feeling his best.
“I told people I’m battling the three C’s out here. Two weeks ago, I contracted COVID, and I also had cold symptoms going into the race. Six months before, I had been diagnosed with blood cancer, and that’s been really hurting my fast pace, but I have this theory that it doesn’t affect ultra paces, and that seems to have really been borne out here,” he told the pub. “The only symptom I have is that I can’t breathe hard enough when I run fast, but when you’re running 12 hours, you’re never running hard. I was really happy to be able to get through 12 hours with all those health problems.”
Dykes was confident in his ability to break many of the records this week—as he pointed out on Twitter, many of the distances had never been contested on the track—but he admitted that the 100-kilometer record was a particular challenge.
“After the [50-kilometer mark], my crew computed the pace I would need to complete 100 kilometers within 12 hours,” Dykes tweeted. “I picked up the pace just a bit (not an easy task) and vowed that I would keep grinding out the laps until I just couldn't anymore. I really thought I had no chance—surely I would bonk, or get nauseated, or just get too tired to pull it off.”
Dykes described this week’s run—his longest since receiving his cancer diagnosis—as “possibly the hardest race I've ever done.”
“It'll take a while before I forget the horror of an event like this and foolishly sign up for another,” he added.
But the accomplishment made for a great confidence booster ahead of his next start: California’s 100-mile Western States Endurance Run in June, where he is set to make history as the race’s oldest finisher.
The pressure of performing well at Western States drove Dykes, who didn’t take up competitive racing until his 60s, to push hard to achieve his 100-kilometer goal.
“I kind of had to take a chance because the really big race is next month,” he said. “That’s a big deal. I’ve got a sponsor, and everybody’s expecting me to become the oldest-ever finisher there. So I thought, If I can’t run for 12 hours, how am I going to run for 30 hours?”
Regardless of next month’s outcome, the self-professed “ultra-geezer” is happy to be out there trying. “There are just so many ways to enjoy running,” Dykes said. “I’m really fortunate.”
Laura Ratliff is a New York City-based writer, editor, and runner. Laura's writing expertise spans numerous topics, ranging from travel and food and drink to reported pieces covering political and human rights issues. She has previously worked at Architectural Digest, Bloomberg News, and Condé Nast Traveler and was most recently the senior editorial director at TripSavvy. Like many of us, Laura was bitten by the running bug later in life, after years of claiming to "hate running." Her favorite marathon is Big Sur.
