Athlete of the Week: Ames Brown

Ames Brown, DC '02 Ultra marathon runner Height: 6'1" Hometown: New York, N.Y. Notorious Prank: Last year, Ames removed the Class of 1944 photograph from the wall of the Davenport Library and scanned the photograph onto his computer. He then scanned a snap-shot of himself, clad in a Navy uniform, into the Class of 1944 photograph, printed a copy of the defaced picture, and hung a copy back up on the wall, where it remained for an entire semester

The ultramarathon. One hundred kilometers. For most of us these things have only mythical or abstract significance. But for one Yalie, Ames Brown, DC '02, running 62.3 miles is as real as cracking the books during midterms.

On Sat., Oct. 9, while most of us were sleeping, Brown was doing the impossible. After registering for the Chancellor Challenge Boston Ultra-marathon around 5 a.m., Brown took off with Vaseline between his toes and a healthy appetite for challenge at 7 a.m.

Brown beat his goal of 11 hours 30 minutes and even beat a number of international foes with far more experience. How did a self-proclaimed "ordinary guy" get into something so extraordinary? "A few months ago, I wanted to find something that seemed impossible and I wanted to do it and do it well," he said. What started as a search for the insurmountable transformed into an obsession. Having decided on the ultramarathon, Brown, who ran cross country in high school, concentrated all his energy on preparation. From practicing four hours a day, seven days a week, to altering his diet for the event, to searching the Internet for information on how to successfully conquer the ultramarathon, Brown ate, slept, and breathed long-distance running for the two months leading up to the race. The entire endeavor is documented in what Brown calls "The Ultra Binder."

Physically, he was as ready as possible to put his body through one of the most demanding athletic journeys known to man. The psychological aspect of the ultra-marathon was a different story. "Nothing could have prepared me for the mental challenge", he said. "The solitude you have to endure is amazing." With only 70 runners competing, it is easy for runners to find themselves completely alone for hours on end. "Without anyone in sight, it is very difficult to convince yourself to keep going," Brown said.

He did keep going. He kept going after seeing 24 runners drop out. He kept going to see the sun rise and set. He kept going despite a pulled hamstring with 30k left. Almost 11 and a half hours, three Advils, countless cups of water, and approximately 30 Power Bars later, Brown crossed the finish line in 38th place.

While some of us might consider running for almost 12 hours hell on earth, Brown had fun. "It was a good time with such a diverse group of people from all over the world," he said. Brown had so much fun that he could only sit still for one week after the race. As soon as his damaged hamstring healed, Brown took to the streets of New Haven again.

What's next for this real-life Forrest Gump? "Well, there's a 50-mile race in Maryland that I may do," he said. "But I really want to do a marathon." That shouldn't be too hard. After all, Brown has already run well over two marathons without breaking stride.

Photo by John Yi.

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