Jillian Best
Jillian Best shares her inspiring journey from liver transplant recipient to becoming a world record holding swimmer and the first transplant recipient to swim across Lake Ontario.
More Than Our Story
Bob Becker
Bob Becker is a record-holding ultrarunner and race director who discovered ultrarunning at 60 and has competed in ultramarathons for more than twenty years, proving that age is just a number. He has introduced countless people to the sport, inspired them, and remains committed to giving back through his company, Ultra Sports LLC.
Highlights
On his longevity:
Consistency is probably the reason. But part of it is I've been training for years under coach Lisa Smith… she's a long-time elite ultrarunner with one heck of a resume, and her training for me is both race-specific and age-specific, and she always has me ready on race day, and I'm never injured because she doesn't allow me to overtrain.
I've learned over the years what I can do and what I can no longer do. I'm not running a 50K anymore. I'm running and walking a 50K.
From time to time, I'm told that I've inspired someone's grandma to get off the couch and start walking, and to the extent that I can have that kind of a positive impact in terms of health for others, that's a biggie to keep me moving as well.
How his running career started:
I ran the mile back in high school, and I always played sports, went to the gym, but I was not a runner, other than just to stay in shape… I moved to Florida 25 years ago from Minnesota, and the year after I moved down here, a couple of my old gym buddies from up there called and said, “Hey, we're going to run Grandma's Marathon; why don't you join us?” and that was really the impetus. I bought a pair of running shoes, found a training group, and went up there and had a great, great time, had a good race, and it was going to be a one-and-done. But I actually qualified for Boston, and I figured, well, kind of have to do that.
I continued to train, and one day, one of the guys that I ran with said, “Did you ever hear of the Marathon des Sables? It's an ultra marathon.” And I said, “Not only have I never heard of Marathon des Sables, what is an ultra marathon?” This was 20 years ago… I really didn't know what ultras were, and a lot of other people didn't either.
After Marathon des Sables: “I absolutely fell in love with the sport, and I’ve been at it ever since then.”
On Badwater 135:
Badwater is one of the toughest races in the world, partly because, first, it's 135 miles on pavement. Secondly, you're running in temperatures that are typically in the 120s, and you're climbing 14,000ft, so it's not flat by any stretch of the imagination. You start at the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere at 282ft below sea level at Badwater Basin, which is where the race gets its name. And you finish at the portal, the entry, entrance to the trail to climb to the summit of Mount Whitney. That's at 8,500ft, and you've got two 5,000ft peaks along the way. So there are a lot of challenges, and there's one more that compounds it, which is the race starts at night. You have 48 hours to finish the race… that means unless you're an elite runner, you're going to be running through two nights. So sleep deprivation is another challenge that makes this race particularly difficult.
Since that first experience in 2007, for 19 straight years I've been at Badwater every year.
2010, I was at the finish line with a number of other people, welcoming in a British runner named Jack Denness, who was 75 and trying to set the oldest finisher record… Jack finished in 59 hours and 13 minutes, and it was really a cool moment.
In 2021, when I was 76, I got into the race… I was not careful about my hydration and electrolyte balance, and I wasn't eating enough, and by mile 42, I was cramping really, really badly. By the time I recovered from that pain, I had missed the 50-mile cutoff, the first cutoff in the race. That was my first attempt at Badwater.
I tried again the following year, 2022, and the race was going very well. Right on plan through the first 100 miles, (then) my back went out… Roughly the last mile or so, I was actually having to mix up bear crawling with hobbling to try to get to the finish line, and I did finish it, but it was 17 minutes and 27 seconds over the cutoff; so it wasn't official, and I did not break Jack's record.
In 2005, the stars aligned. I had 48 hours to finish. The race had gone from allowing 60 hours to 48. So to break his record, I had to beat him by at least 12 hours, and I actually finished in 45 hours flat. The stars aligned… I was able to become the oldest finisher.
On staying healthy:
A lot of it really does have to do with not overtraining. On the physical side of it, it's picking your races carefully… Part of it is genetic, that I've been healthy… And the rest of it, I suppose, is all mental. I'm still very competitive, even at my age. I like to think probably more competitive with myself than I am with others. Though I love picking off a few of the young guns before the end of a race.
Part of it is challenging myself to be able to continue to do these things as long as I possibly can.
On race directing:
When I first became a race director, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. So everything was learned the hard way.
I think it was in, I guess, late 2006 or early 2007. I was hanging out with some friends, and we said, you know, there aren't any ultramarathons here in South Florida… and we said, why don't we drive down to the Florida Keys and run the Keys to see whether it would be viable for an ultramarathon. Interestingly, Key Largo, where the Keys start, to Key West, where the Keys end, is exactly 100 miles. So five of us went down there in 2007, in April, and we ran it. We thought, you know, this could really be a cool race. You're running over 42 islands. You've got the ocean, the Atlantic Ocean on one side, the Gulf of Mexico on the other side. It's a pretty cool place.
We had 131 runners that first year… In May, it will be the 19th year. This past year, we had 1,100 runners in the race… So it's become a big race, and it's a lot of fun to be able to bring all those people together and run those islands.
I realized that we really did need to give back to the community, and in the Florida Keys, the Cancer Foundation of the Florida Keys is a local organization that does incredible work on behalf of the residents throughout the Keys who have cancer or who need testing to see what their story is… They bring that kind of support to the community, but they also… provide direct financial support to families that have been impacted by the disease… Couldn't have picked a better charity, more hands-on, where every dollar they raise stays right there in the community throughout that 100-mile chain of islands. Giving back has become increasingly important over the years. And there's always some charitable component to the race.
We also encourage all of our runners to raise money for whatever their charity of choice is.
On racing:
I have a special place in my heart for them because I've set a couple of records doing them, and I just enjoy the fact that you're seeing your fellow runners and race supporters, and people cheering you on over and over again as you go around what is typically a short course. 2019, I was able to win The Race for the Ages, ARFTA, one of Lazarus Lakes’ races, and set the record there and really had a lot of fun… About three years ago, I ran Six Days in the Dome… and was shooting for the 75-79 age-range record in the 48-hour race, and I actually broke the world record there. So, you know, I've had some success with fixed-time races; I enjoy them, but at the end of the day, if I have my choice, getting out there with friends and running in the outdoors and running fixed distances is probably what I do the most now and probably enjoy the most now.
So often, people who begin exposure to the sport by crewing for somebody else… become so inspired by it that they say to themselves, “Hey, if that person can do it, maybe I can too,” and it tends to create the next generation of ultra runners.
Getting out there, whether it's running or walking or riding a bike or just going to the gym and lifting some weights… for most people, it's something that takes their mind off of the day-to-day stuff and gives you a break mentally… There's no question that those who are physically fit, who control their weight… and pay attention to what they eat, all of those things contribute to a healthier you.
Advice for people new to the sport:
Build up gradually. I think that's really important… There are all kinds of options for racing and for races. Pick yours carefully, and you'll be just fine.
Running’s lessons:
It's taught me how competitive I am, and remain, as much with myself as with others… and part of it is to remind myself: first, I chose to be out there. Secondly, how great it feels to cross that finish line… but also that internal competition, which is to say to myself, “Hey, get it together. You've trained for this. You are ready. You knew you were ready for this, or you wouldn't have been out here. Finish this up. Get it done.” So, yeah, I think that internal competitiveness is probably what I've learned most about myself over the years.
Bob Becker
Bob Becker, Ultra Marathon Runner, Speaker, Race Consultant
Ultra Sports LLC
Welcome To Ultra Sports
Home of the KEYS 100 & Daytona 100 Ultramarathon Races.
Ultra Sports LLC was founded in 2007 as a vehicle to create and produce the new KEYS100—the introductory South Florida ultramarathon running race in the Florida Keys. The race was a hit and has become a growing and respected event on the national ultramarathon “circuit” ever since.
Ultra Sports LLC works with local runners and groups throughout Florida and the Keys to develop ultra-distance events along beautiful and unique race routes. “The scenery and overall quality of the experience for the runners are the two primary factors in the selection of race sites and distances,” says Bob Becker, founder and race director. “When competing in an ultra, you are running a long way, and no ultra-runner wants those miles to be ordinary. Florida gives us plenty of flexibility to ensure that views are spectacular, the venues memorable, and runner support first-rate. We work hard to achieve those goals.”
KEYS 100
KEYS 100 is a 100-mile point-to-point running race from Key Largo to Key West. Both individuals and teams compete. There is also a 50-mile option from Marathon to Key West for individuals and teams, and a 50-kilometer individual race from Big Pine Key to Key West. All races finish at Higgs Beach on the Atlantic Ocean in Key West.
Daytona 100
Daytona 100 is a point-to-point road race along Florida S.R. A1A–the ocean road–from Jacksonville Beach (or Flagler Beach) to Daytona Beach. 100-mile, 50-mile, and 50-kilometer distances are included. New for 2023: a 4-person 100-mile relay race beginning in JAX Beach. All distances finish at the historic Ponce Inlet Lighthouse at the southernmost point of the barrier island.
@bobruns150
Visit and follow Bob Becker’s Instagram page.
Daniel
Daniel is an extremely curious person, a wealth of random knowledge and facts. Extremely passionate about a vast array of interests ranging from health to history, science to athletics, everything culinary and the list goes on. Trust us, you would want to be on his team for Trivial Pursuit.
Daniel is also years into his battle with brain cancer. He experienced a seizure while on a Zoom call at work in late 2020 and quite literally, his life changed within minutes. After his operation he started to talk about his story but had always known it was more than just him. From then, More Than Our Story became a PROJECT that has evolved into the starting point it is today.
He has also since become a multiple time IRONMAN.
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