One Gore athlete found the answer last Saturday in Arrowtown.
Brett McGowan ran in the Arrowtown Backyard Ultra, a type of marathon where the only limit is how far your legs will carry you.
It is a variation of an ultramarathon, where race lengths can range in the hundreds of kilometres, or how long an athlete can run in a day.
The Arrowtown Backyard Ultra is a continual circuit where participants have to run 6.7km every hour, or drop out, with the winner being the last person standing.
Mr McGowan ran 74km in 11 hours, his personal best, but said he was gearing up for even longer races.
‘‘It was a bit of a test for me, but I’d like to do 24 hours, and go over 160km,’’ he said.
It seems like a daunting task to run such a large amount, but Mr McGowan said this was the part he relished.
‘‘I just like the challenge. It’s not just physical, it’s mental as well, it helps with everything, the mental resilience’’ he said.
In preparation for the event, Mr McGowan trained with the Hokonui Running Group, and said it was all a building process.
‘‘Ultramarathons can take about three or four years to get into — it’s just building experience [and] mental fortitude,’’ he said.
The result is all the more impressive considering Mr McGowan said he felt a bit ill in the week leading up to the race.
‘‘I actually had a head cold that I caught on Tuesday, which threw me for a bit. I’m only coming right now,’’ he said.
During the race, athletes have regular stops for nutrition and to stretch, and Mr McGowan had his fluid intake monitored to ensure he was staying hydrated and running at his best.
Mr McGowan said despite running such an incredible distance, he would be back on the trail sooner rather than later.
‘‘I was pretty sore on Sunday. It takes a toll and about a week to get over it.
‘‘I’ll probably be ... back on my feet on Friday,’’ he said.
The eventual winner and last man standing of the event, Paul Maxwell of Waitati, ran for 38 hours and covered 311km.
