A Grueling 120-Mile Run, Butler Included: Ultramarathons Get Fancy

The Zhaos are among a new breed of long-distance runners confounding traditionalists. These competitors want the challenge of running across deserts and up mountains over many miles without having to rough it, and are willing to spend thousands of dollars for the privilege. 

The couple will head back to the Highland Kings luxury ultramarathon again this year, joining up to 40 runners aiming to cover 120 miles over four days. An $11,000 entry fee includes nutritionally tailored food from a Michelin-starred chef, butler service and private sleep pods. 

Energetic vacationers can choose from a range of other offerings from specialist travel companies. “Be prepared for some of the most breathtaking trails you’ve ever run (due to their beauty and elevation) while being pampered in some of the most luxurious four-star hotels of Sud-Tyrol,” urges one such company specializing in tours of the Dolomites.

Definitions of ultramarathons vary, but it is most commonly understood to involve anything longer than the 26.2 miles of a marathon. Some races take athletes from one point to another, while others involve repeating a single circuit on an hourly basis until the last person standing is declared the winner.

Phil Gore’s idea of a fun run is a backyard ultra, in which runners race a lap a little longer than 4 miles every hour until only one person is left. Thirty-nine hours into his debut, doing loops around a lake in Australia’s remote west, the 36-year-old collapsed in the dark and managed to lift himself off the brick path to complete his final circuit only after his wife dropped to her knees to whisper encouragement into his ear. He has since run loops for 76 hours and refuses to enter a regular marathon because it’s too short.

Mr. Gore compares runners who pay to ease the pain to climbers who hire help to get them up Everest. “All they want to do is get from the base camp to the top of the mountain and get their photos showing that they have done it,” he mused.

Lifelong runner Chris Ord founded a luxury trail-running tour company after letting go of the all-or-nothing mentality almost a decade ago. On assignment as a travel journalist in the Himalayas, Mr. Ord said he overcame his reservations while soaking in a spa overlooking Bhutan’s picturesque Paro Valley.

“I was literally sitting in this blond-wood spa with herbs floating around me,” said Mr. Ord, whose Tour de Trails business offers running holidays in countries including France, Greece and the U.K. “I thought, there’s got to be someone else like me who still loves adventure, still wants to go and hurt themselves during the day, but then wants a really good Shiraz at the end of the night.”

Mr. Ord said most of his clients are professionals aged between their mid-30s and mid-60s. He believes that socializing and sightseeing are at least as important to them as the run. 

For Stephen Redfern, an ultrarunning enthusiast who celebrated his 50th birthday last year by grinding his way around one extended New York City block almost 5,000 times over 52 days, hardships are the point. (He took extended leave from his job as an aircraft maintenance worker to run in the event, the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3,100-Mile Race—though he ended up at 2,728 miles after losing four days to foot injuries.) Swapping war stories adds to the camaraderie of events often held in the wilderness or dire conditions, he said.

He conceded luxury races could be a gateway to the real thing. “I guess not everyone’s got the inclination to do it on their own,” said Mr. Redfern.

Kellie Emmerson, a three-time Australian national long-course trail-running champion, said many ultramarathon runners pack in as many events as possible. That’s a significant financial burden, prompting them to cut costs where they can, which adds to the challenge.

One way to keep costs down is to take part in races offering zero perks—just a start line, a finishing post and a chip to automatically log runners’ times. 

“At lots of stage races, you actually have to carry your own gear, which is a lot and changes the way that you race,” Ms. Emmerson said. “You’re trying to live in the clothes that you ran in the last three days.”

Others are intrigued by the cushier offerings. “I would definitely consider it,” Enrique Klix, a two-time veteran of the trans-Andes El Cruce multiday race, said of the Highland Kings ultra. “Being with like-minded people in that kind of environment is something I would value. And the novelty factor is appealing.”

Even the most skeptical runner likes the occasional luxury. Mr. Gore said he aims to be as comfortable as possible at backyard events. After completing a lap, athletes can choose to refuel, stretch or rest while waiting to start the next loop at the top of the hour.

“I like to bring in some of the comforts of home: two different chairs,” he said.

Write to Stuart Condie at [email protected]

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