MIDLAND, Texas — A jingle bell run in Midland is set for Saturday, Dec. 2 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and it consists of a 1.5k and 5k run.
A 5k run is about three miles, and with many Midlanders ready to cross the finish line at Scharbauer Elementary, there are two men who will cross after much more than just three miles.
They will be running 100 miles, and they’ll do it all at once. Starting at Stonegate Fellowship Friday, Dec. 1 at 5 p.m., they’ll run three 33-mile loops across Midland, a likely historic journey and a tall task in the "Tall City."
One-hundred miles is nearly four marathons, and that’s the goal for ultra-runners Andy Gutierrez and Luciano Nhaera.
“It’s going to be rough," Gutierrez said.
“100-mile run!," exclaimed their Running Coach Mackenzy Teruel.
“We’re running 100 miles," Nhaera said.
When asked if an almost four marathon run is as crazy as it sounds, both ultra-runners explained their mindset.
“Once your body gets tired enough, it just kind of all blends – for me anyway that’s how it’s been," Gutierrez said. "Like, my brain just kind of tunes out. I don’t know, I guess it’s what the goal is or whatever, right?”
“Yeah once you start, it’s going to hurt, and there’s nothing you can do to avoid the pain," Nhaera said. "But, it’s like once you get going, you’re like ‘OK, well I'm almost there, I'm halfway there,’ then it’s like ‘why stop? Just keep going.’”
Running 100 miles in Midland was not the original plan.
“The race that they had been training for all year was canceled due to weather," Teruel said.
Teruel helped them pivot to this idea, and she has experience in this rarified air.
“Physically you get exhausted and mentally it’s exhausting as well because you’re up for over 24 hours a lot of times, but finishing it is like nothing else there is," Teruel said. "They’re my favorite – I love 100-milers.”
Teruel has run two of them and is here to help.
“Setting goals and then going after them -- even if they’re big and scary -- are worth chasing," Teruel said.
As for the ultra-runners, it’s about more than just the miles.
“I want my family, my kids, to be able to see that we can do things that are beyond what we can dream, and so, dream big and if you put the work in you can make it happen," Gutierrez said.
“Yeah I would agree with that," Nhaera said. "It’s just showing my daughter that you put the effort in, put the time, your dreams, you could accomplish what you set your mind to.”
Teruel mentioned that both Gutierrez and Nhaera have been building in their running to get to this point. She noted that both ultra-runners will be eating and getting fluids at the houses of friends throughout the 100-mile run with support waiting for them at the finish line come Saturday night.