‘Ultra’ accomplishment

Local runner records 100-mile trek

by Michelle Watson

Dave Callison, of Ventura, proved that hard work and determination pay off at any age.  Callison recently competed in the Prairie Spirit 100-mile ultra-marathon in Ottawa, Kan.  Callison finished first in his age group, 50-59, and was seventh overall with a time of 21 hours and 12 minutes.

Callison had run a marathon before, but after being encouraged by fellow racers, he decided to run an ultra, which is a 100-mile race.

“I knew very little about ultras, but I did some research and found out that even though it seems extreme to run 100 miles, many people seemed to do it with comparable ease,” said Callison.

Callison did his math and found that most people can walk four miles an hour, 25 hours equals 100 miles, Callison said

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that when he put some jogging into the equation and with a no quit attitude, he knew he could do it and even win.  Most ultra’s give you 30 hours to finish.

“One person called the race a slow moving picnic, because they have food all along the route,” said Callison.  “It’s mostly a mental game and I like to push the boundaries, so I signed up to the chagrin of my wife.”

Callison’s support crew included his wife, Mary, and his daughter and son-in-law, Paul and Alyssa Speed.  Callison said that Paul ran 27 miles as his pacer.

Callison said he trained for about four months, through all kinds of weather.  He built his pace up to 30-40 miles a week and occasionally more.

“It was mostly fun, even running in bad weather at night,” said Callison.

Callison said he is already signed up for two half-marathons this spring.  He said he may even do another ultra, but he is still recovering from this one.

When he’s not training or running races, Callison is the assistant director at Iowa Regular Baptist Camp, in Ventura, and he is a member of the Ventura Fire Department.

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