50-mile benefit run to test cadet's fitness

Tricia Pursell
The Daily Item

March 21, 2009 08:07 am

— By Tricia Pursell

The Daily Item

OTTAWA — Beginning at 9:30 a.m. today, Eric Solomon, 19, of Ottawa, will set out to complete a benefit run of 50 miles in 24 hours.

It is a tough physical accomplishment, local experts say, but for a very good cause.

As of yesterday, Solomon, a second-year cadet at West Point, has raised approximately $1,900 for the Wounded Warrior Project, which he said helps injured soldiers make the transition from the military back to civilian life. He is running as part of the 24-Hour Brigade, a group of cadets from all over the country who will run today to raise money for the project.

Yesterday, at 5 p.m., Solomon left his home in Ottawa, ran to Turbotville, and then back to Ottawa. Today, he plans to run from the Hughesville post office to the Veterans’ Park in Milton, where he hopes to arrive around 1 p.m. He will follow Route 405 through Muncy, Montgomery, and Watsontown.

Solomon has a head start in preparing for the run due to his military training. Others who might consider following in his footsteps should plan on spending a good deal of time preparing their bodies, fitness experts said.

Running 50 miles in two days is very difficult, but hardly impossible, said Toni Mudge, physical program director of the Sunbury and Milton YMCAs.

“You’re talking months of training,” she said. “Basically building up your cardio, strengthening your heart. And diet plays a huge part of it as well. It’s definitely not a one-month prep.”

To run this far in such a short amount of time, Mudge said a diet high in carbs and electrolytes is important.

She knows of people who run 20 miles a day, but rarely two days in a row. However, she said, “It’s doable with appropriate preparation.”

Solomon hasn’t trained specifically for this run, he said, but he is a member of West Point’s Sandhurst Team, which competes with cadets from other countries in running, navigation, marksmanship, water movements and other military tasks. They do this while wearing flak jackets and helmets and carrying rucksacks.

“I know of many veterans and military people who have done this,” said Freddi Carlip, editor and publisher of Runner’s Gazette, based in Lewisburg. “It’s a great thing to do. It is certainly an accomplishment.” Those who run these distances are “super fit,” she said.

“Ultra runners,” as she calls them, aren’t running very fast, and take many more breaks. “It’s not like running a marathon,” she said.

These runners have to stop to eat and drink to replenish their energy and nutrients. “You’ll burn up all that high energy source right away,” Mudge said. Throughout the run, they need to “crank those electrolytes and hydration levels in their bodies as well,” she said.

“Ultra runners know how to pace themselves,” Carlip said. “It’s mainly about completing the distance.”

Several members of the Legion Riders group from New Berlin are expected to escort Solomon on their motorcycles today. His parents will also be accompanying him and will have buckets in which people can place donations.

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