Many runners believe the term “ultramarathon” originates from the idea anything longer than a 26.2-mile marathon has to be a supreme test.
And they’re probably right.
Yet for some, the “ultra” part can also refer to the unique, challenging part of often competing on scenic/off-road trails and getting one with nature.
For Justyna Wilson, a resident of Fairless Hills, it’s all that and more.
The 49-year-old emergency room nurse discovered the joys of running alongside the bees and the trees and everything else the unpaved world had to offer while growing up in her native Poland.
She loves this type of running so much, she’s become one of the top ultra runners in the United States. She’s done at least a half-dozen 100-milers. In fact, race website UltraSignup has her ranked at 96.15 percent and her age rank at 98.40 percent.
Maybe she runs like a deer because she’s around them all the time.
“I always enjoyed running trails,” said Wilson in a recent telephone interview. “I actually grew up back in Poland on trails every single day. I just went to the track to do harder workouts – intervals and tempos.”
The big moment of clarity came about in 2015. She had been pounding the pavement since she was a teenager and the wear and tear was taking its toll, both physically and mentally.
She came to the United States in 1999 when she was 23. It just took some time for her to find the beauty of this country once you’re off the byways and highways.
“After years of pounding asphalt here I tried to go on trails and I just enjoyed it,” she said. “I liked it so much I decided this is what I would do.
“I tried my first ultra and everything was great, the camaraderie. So I continued pushing my limits and I kept going.”
What caused the light to go on?
“It’s the mental focus, being out there in nature is just so rewarding,” she said. “It gives you a sense of solace and renewal. You’re just out there getting personal with nature. You get dirty, you run through the night, through storms. I think they have a restorative power when you spend time out in the wilderness.”
Training for any racing distance can be monotonous at times but communing with nature can alleviate some of that.
“I value the beauty of being alone,” Wilson said. “Being able to breathe this crisp air into my lungs. Feel the sunrays on my face. It’s just you and nature. It gives you a way of coping with stress. That’s why I run mostly on trails. You really don’t see me running on the road anymore.”
Wilson’s path to running wasn’t an easy one. Maybe that’s what toughened her up for her adult years on trails.
“I started running when I was 14,” she said. “When I was a baby, I had hip dysplasia. I was stuck in this device (Frejka splint). It was supposed to keep my hip steady.
“I was stuck in it for nine months. So when I was 12 months old, it was almost done. But the doctor said it was going to take a long time to start walking. Do all the things that other babies had a chance to learn before me. But me, because I was stuck in this device for so long, I almost skipped walking. I got out and right away I started running.”
A little bit of Type A personality, perhaps?
“It was hard to pin me to the stroller,” she said with a chuckle. “I was always going. My father (Andrzej) used to be a pro boxer. Seeing him training every day, going to his workouts, seeing him in the ring. He instilled in me you can find joy in training.”
Wilson eventually wound up on the Polish national track/cross country team and won two bronze medals, one in the 5K and one in the 10K. However, a nagging injury caused her to change her priorities.
“That’s when I started training on my own plan,” she said.
Wilson became a physical education teacher in Poland but switched to nursing upon her arrival in the U.S.
“The United States attracted me because of all the different cultures together,” she said. “It being such a beautiful country, you have all these different states with so many different climates, mountains, deserts you can really experience.”
Bucks County offered some of those settings in nature.
“When I got to the U.S., it was nice to see so many people were running,” she said. “I had never run a marathon. I never even considered running that far. Being in my 20s, I felt like I should train much more. Here I saw so many people running. Even people of different sizes, different walks of life.”
After finishing a number of marathons, including three Bostons, she asked herself “what else can I do? How else can I challenge myself?’ That’s when I started pushing farther. What about 50K? What about 50 miles. 100 miles?”
Her crowning achievement might be the Laurel Highlands 70-Miler, where she broke the female course record. Not for her age group, for EVERYBODY.
What’s the secret to her longevity?
“I’m not as fast as I was 20 years ago,” she acknowledged. “So I focus more on staying strong and training smarter (with life partner Steve Gutierrez and Alejandro Garcia). As long as I can stay outside and be active, I’m happy. It’s training smarter and just finding that joy. Listening to your body. If your body needs to rest, just do it.”
Her advice for aspiring ultra runners is basic.
“We are here today but tomorrow is not promised,” she said. “Enjoy what we love. Enjoy people around us until we can’t.”
Perhaps that’s why Wilson, after a few years away, returned to the Bucks County Roadrunners Club’s Winter Series this year where she’s done quite well. It’s held in scenic Tyler State Park, a rustic place near and dear to her heart.
“The reason I came back to run these races this year was to see my friends,” she said. “Because I haven’t seen them. Run the trails rather than the roads.”
She still wins the overall title in some ultra races (52 top-three medals/trophies in all) but that’s not really important.
“Those don’t really matter to me,” she said. “I do like that competitive side of running but I just love to go out there and get lost in the woods, feeling free. My favorite races are the ones in the mountains and woods.”
>Race calendar
>Saturday
Looney Leprechaun Trail Races 13-Miler, 10K, 8:30 a.m., Newtown. Contact www.runsignup.com
>Sunday
Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup 4-Miler, 10 a.m., Churchville. Contact www.runningintheusa.com
