9/28/2009
By GORDON D. FIEDLER JR. Salina Journal
Dustin Birdson, 27, is preparing for an ultramarathon.

In his high school days at Salina South, Dustin Birdsong ran cross country and continued to compete in short-distance races as an adult.

"Personally, I never liked longer distances," said Birdsong, 27, of Lindsborg. Longer distances, as in 26-plus mile marathons.

So why is he so pumped to run 100 miles nonstop next month?

"I have recently been getting into ultrarunning," the tall, slender Birdsong said recently during a rare sedentary moment.

Ultrarunning, any event longer than a marathon, generally takes the grueling form of 50- to 100-mile runs -- or longer. Some are timed events, in which competitors run as far as they can in, say, 24 hours.

Birdsong has three ultrarunning events under his belt from last year: a 40- miler, a 50K (31 miles) and a 100K (62 miles). All were in preparation for the Heartland Spirit of the Prairie 100-mile race Oct. 10 in the Flint Hills town of Cassoday, in northern Butler County.

Birdsong also competed this year in the Pikes Peak Ascent, a 13.1-mile race up Pikes Peak in Colorado. He reached the top of the 14,110-foot mountain in 3 hours, 48 minutes.

"That was my personal best," he said.

He's run the ascent before, as well as the Pikes Peak Marathon, which is held the day after the half-marathon ascent.

In 2007, he did both: the ascent one day; the marathon the next. His times were 4:40 and 6:58, respectively.

One would think that would be enough preparation, but Birdsong isn't slacking off.

He continues to train when not at his job as a supervisor for Food Service Fabricators & Installers, makers of custom food handling, processing and packaging equipment. He works nights, primarily so his wife can attend school, but also to give him some daylight training hours.

He will occasionally run from his Lindsborg home to Marquette, grab a quick drink, run back to Lindsborg then run to his parents' house south of Salina, a total distance of about 26 miles.

"I call it quits after I get to their house," he said.

Birdsong said he hopes to finish the Heartland race in 20 hours by maintaining a 12-minute-mile pace.

Birdsong will be running not just for himself.

His father is a long-distance runner, a veteran of the Pikes Peak races and others, who has been sidelined by knee-replacement surgery.

"He always wanted to do the (Heartland) 100, so this is a journey for me and for him," Birdsong said.

Birdsong said his dad also had his eye on the Antarctica Marathon -- the next one is March 7, 2010, for anyone interested.

The elder Birdsong has also wanted to enter the event that's billed as the world's toughest footrace: the Badwater Ultramarathon, a 135-miler from Death Valley to Mt. Whitney in California, during which temperatures can soar to more than 120 degrees.

"I don't think I'd do that for him," Birdsong said.

As he trains, Birdsong knows such distances are physically as well as mentally challenging.

"You have high points, when you feel like you're on top of the world, and the lows -- 'why am I doing this, I'm going to quit.' You learn how to deal with all this," he said.

While Birdsong is meticulous about his physical training, his diet is less stringent.

(Those who find themselves struggling during the latest Pound Plunge challenge may want to skip the next paragraph.)

"I eat McDonald's three times a day, 15 cans of pop a day. I eat maybe two or three meals at home," he said. "My weight doesn't fluctuate more than a pound or two."

Ultramarathoners such as Birdsong burn thousands of calories during training and in the course of an actual race, and because of that, the aide stations are not the bare-bones water-only offerings common in shorter distance events.

These ultramarathon oases dispense such hardy fare as chili, potatoes and, near the end, beer.

"You're missing a whole days's worth of meals," Birdsong said.

Conventional wisdom suggests long races are the sport of young bodies. Not so.

When he strides from the starting line next month, Birdsong will have the distinction of being the youngest competitor. Of the 82 entrants, 36 are age 50 and older; six are over 60. Three are 64.

Birdsong says his No. 1 goal is to finish, but his competitive spirit is a close No. 2 and gaining.

"You've got to respect the distance. A lot can happen in 100 miles," he said. "(But) you can't train all year and not treat it like a race."

The gun goes off at 6 a.m., and Birdsong wants to be done by 2 p.m. the following day.

His family, who will be there to cheer him on, will be constantly on his mind.

"I can think about my dad waiting at the finish line. He knows this is a far-reaching goal for me. I'm ready for it."

nGordon D. Fiedler Jr. can be reached at 822-1407 or by e-mail at gfiedler@salina.com.

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