For some people, they can't come up with a challenge too many times before they try. Nathan Lamarr is one such person, and the challenge that sticks in his mind is running around Lake Winnipesaukee.
Lamarre's best guess is that only two people have ever tackled this challenge. The 62-mile distance counts as an ultramarathon, making it an especially difficult marathon with over 4,000 feet of elevation gain. The most recent person to accomplish this feat was Miles Chase, who circumnavigated the state's largest lake in 2010. The only other person known to have accomplished this feat was LaMarr's father-in-law, Bruce Neuer, in 1989.
Lamar is a 29-year-old Laconia resident who works as a certified nursing assistant in the Taylor community. The Moultonborough Academy graduate did a lot of running as a football and baseball player, but said he “absolutely hated” running as a teenager. His love for running changed during his college days in Massachusetts. When the man who became his mentor invited him to jog around his neighborhood on the weekends. Those runs were about 3 miles long, LaMarr said, and he began to understand why running was worth the energy.
“I did it a few Saturdays in a row,” he said of his neighborhood runs. He was able to finish the run without too much trouble, as he “never got sick, I was always healthy”, and he noticed how much easier the runs felt afterward.
“When I moved back to New Hampshire, I discovered trail running and it became a passion.”
Lamar's interest in running quickly grew. She first started jogging in college in 2016, and in 2018, she ran 42.2 miles at the Running Festival on Cape Cod, completing her Trail Marathon.
The next step in his descent into running mania was via YouTube. It was through this that Lamar introduced him to the world of ultramarathons, defined as running over 42.2 miles. Lamar, infected with the bug, signed up for the White He Lake Ultra, which is held on more than two miles of trails around Tamworth's White Lake. In this event, runners attempt to complete as many laps as possible, either 12 or 24 laps. -time frame. Lamar has experienced both, and in 2020, when the event was canceled, he and his now wife Becky decided to run a 24-hour ultra there, and together they covered 75 miles in 24 hours. I completed the race. When the event officially resumed the following year, Becky won the women's division.
Since then, Lamar has competed in several Bubba's Backyard Ultra events in Conway. His Backyard Ultras follow a specific format, and the course is usually about 4 miles of trail, easily completed by him in less than an hour. Each lap begins on the hour and the runner who completes the most laps wins the event.
In 2021, Lamar covered over 100 miles during his Bubba period, but when he returned the following year, he had no specific goals and just wanted to see how far he could push himself. He covered 140 miles in 43 hours at the 2022 event.
He's always wanted to run around Winnipesaukee, especially after hearing his father-in-law mention the 1989 run.
In the world of trail running, the White Mountains are home to specific routes such as the Presidential Traverse and the Pemi Loop, which most local trail runners have done or are thinking about doing at some point. explained Lamarre. The beltway that surrounds Winnipesaukee calls to him as well, he said.
“It’s just there,” LaMarr said. “I can cover the distance and I have this route there, so I’m hoping to make it.”
At 6 a.m. on Wednesday, May 15, LaMarr will leave the Weirs Beach marker and head to Guildford. He plans to take the main roads (Routes 11, 28, 109, 25 and 3), except for his 28A in Olton and his Bay and the old Route 109 in Moultonborough.
LaMarr estimates it will take about 10 minutes per mile on average, with the possibility of several short breaks to eat or go to the bathroom, likely at Weirs Beach between 4 and 6 p.m. I'll probably go back to the sign.
Although this is primarily a physical challenge, LaMarre said the way he approaches such runs is through intentional thinking. Rather than seeing the course in front of him as a challenge that must be defeated, he sees it as an opportunity he has the rare privilege of experiencing.
“The way I look at ultras is that I get to be out there,” he said. “I'm very grateful to my wife for giving me this time. I have a toddler, so I try to reassure her after work, but I also have a whole 10-hour day to do what I love. I don't want to waste 12 hours of my time.''
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Miles Chase, owner of MC Cycle & Sports in Laconia, completed the same run in 2010. His run was in December because he did it to raise money for the Great Lakes Area Children's Auction, and he said it was difficult to get his body in shape. temperature. LaMarr shouldn't have that problem, but he may experience other drawbacks, Chase said.
“The biggest challenge for me was the amount of pavement,” Chase said. “Most ultras are done on dirt or trails, which reduces the impact on your joints.”
Chase wished Lamar well and said he was looking forward to welcoming a third member to the club.
“I think it's a great addition to the board,” Chase said.