Still Gunnin’ Hills at 66: The Story of an Ultra Marathoner

Gunhild Swanson Born July of 1944

2005. Three months before race day Gunhild set her password to WSRECORD. That became her mantra, impressed in her mind over and over, every time she unlocked her computer at work. Gunhild dreamed of breaking the record for women over 60 at the Western States 100, an endurance trail run 100 miles long.

WSRECORD: Western States Record.

THE START

In the winter of 1977 Gunhild was taking a ski conditioning class at the YMCA. As the class was ending the instructor  turned on the boom box and urged the class to walk or run for ten minutes circling the gym in one direction, then turn around and do it again for ten minutes in the other direction.

The instructor was still on fire after having run in Spokane’s first community race, Bloomsday and was encouraging everyone to take up the sport. Gunhild relates, “I gave it a try. It took six weeks before I could jog 24 laps, one mile, without stopping.” She set her sights on running in the upcoming Bloomsday race and has not looked back.

A LIFESTYLE

Gunhild started going to area races and volunteering at events. One familiar face was that of Jack Swanson, after several years of friendship they married in 1986. What followed was a fairy tale story of adventures as together they competed in countless races from 5k’s to ultra marathons.

November of 2007 Jack ran his 200th and last marathon; he passed away in September of 2008 after losing his battle with leukemia. At the Sandpoint half marathon in 2009 Gunhild was approached by a woman, an ICU nurse who had cared for Jack and recognized her. Gunhild had covered the walls of the ICU with running pictures and played a continuous slide show on a laptop. The nurse wanted Gunhild to know that she was running her first 10k that day and it was because of Jack.

She saw the pictures and had told Jack how she admired his lifestyle and  she would like to start running, but didn’t know what to do. He advised her to go out the door, walk at first, jog a little; then enter a 5k, then right away another. The nurse followed his advice and said she absolutely loved it. Gunhild’s husband was an inspiration to the end.

Gunhild made the decision that she could race on her own, that she shouldn’t give it up even without her running partner by her side. Jack would approve.

Besides she can’t let her grand-son down. Last fall he proudly told his class that his Nana was going to run a hundred miles, again. In October Gunhild ran the Javelina Jundred ultra marathon, her son Chris Morlan pacing her the last 35 miles. Chris got his start with his mother’s encouragement in 1978, at age 11, and competed in the Olympic marathon trials in 1996.

“USE IT OR LOSE IT”

Gunhild is vibrant and energetic. At one point she nimbly jumped out of her chair to pantomime a funny story, moving with the agility and strength of a young woman: a  testament to the rewards of an active lifestyle.

I asked Gunhild what message she would like to share with women as they get older. Thoughtfully she responded, “If they find themselves doing less and less and getting stiffer, there will be more challenges and discomforts. Then it snowballs . . . and they give in. When you get up in the morning and look in the mirror, say to yourself ‘this is as good as it will get’. Unless you become proactive. Otherwise you will just wither.” Gunhild says forcefully, “I was determined to not let that happen.”

“Anybody can do it. You have to want to and stick with it long enough so it is not a chore and starts to become a reward. Give yourself permission to take a little time for yourself out of your busy day! You just have to be willing to put in three months, 4 times a week, then the rewards start pouring in. You will find more enjoyment in everyday activities.” As Jack was fond of saying: “You can’t guarantee a longer life than if you weren’t active, but you will definitely have a happier, more satisfying life.”

“Start going to races, volunteer at a few. You get so hooked! You get to the point you wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Gunhild continued, “Say you get injured, doesn’t mean it’s over. Get yourself stronger, don’t give up at the first sign of trouble. Scale back, let it heal, start back when you can and do as much as you can. Soon you’re right back where you were.”

WORLD CLASS RUNNER

Gifted with both speed and endurance, Gunhild has been awarded many honors in her 34 years of running.

This month’s issue of Ultrarunning magazine placed Gunhild #4 nationally for Age Group Performance of the Year for her time of 25:44:53 in the Javelina Jundred. A few other highlights: In 2005 she took first place for the 60-69 division at the Boston Marathon. Her best marathon time was in 1982 at the Seattle marathon where she broke three hours with a time of 2:56:28. Then there was a finish time in 2007 of 23:13:00 in the Lean Horse 100 miler, South Dakota.

To date: 194 marathons and 39 ultra marathons, nineteen times the overall woman finisher in a marathon or ultra.  Gunhild has been sponsored by Brooks for the past fifteen years as part of the Brooks ID program. She likes their motto Inspire Daily.

ON TRAINING AND RUNNING ULTRAS

Gunhild averages 2,000- 2,500 miles a year, she hit a high one year of over 3,000 miles. She ran her first ultra in 1985, Let’s Climb a Mountain, a 34.3 mile event. To prepare herself mentally for it she thought of the 34.3 mile run as a ‘marathon with an 8 mile walk thru the park.’ Of course, the 8 mile ‘walk thru the park’ climbs to a summit of almost 6000’.  Then in 1987 she ran Le Griz, a 50 miler. Sylvia Quinn was there supporting a friend and wound up running it with her. Her first 100 miler was Western States 100 in 2002. [See the FD story on Sylvia Quinn, “Not Caged by Age”]

Preparing for 100 mile ultras requires linking long runs together, going by time not distance. She will hook 2 or 3 days together with runs of 4 –7 hours each day. Marathons and a 50k or 50 miler are used as training runs in the weeks leading up to the ultra.

Runners are on the move for a very long time during ultra events. I asked if it was difficult to stay awake and how she keeps up her nutrition. Gunhild said that she never felt sleepy, except for the Ultra Centric in Texas, which was 24 hours of going around the same flat two mile loop. She ran 96.5 miles but admitted she was not prepared for the extreme mental challenge of continually passing the finish line, and found herself nodding off during a short break and fighting the urge to stop. Her husband Jack gave her the push to keep going at the 80 mile mark grumbling he didn’t come all that way to watch her sleep.

As far as nutrition, “You can eat just about anything. I carry carbo gels, have one every 45 –  60 minutes. I eat whatever is available at the aid stations,” Gunhild laughs, “you won’t believe how good salty chicken soup tastes at 2AM! Some offerings seem weird but are great: pumpkin pie and bean burritos at Javelina, bacon strips at Western States. Towards the end of the race, boiled potatoes dipped in salt.”

WSRECORD

2005 Western States 100.Gunhild told no one except her son Chris the night before the race about her dream to break the women’s record in the 60+ age group and handed him a pace chart to follow. Western States 100 is an extremely demanding endurance race that takes place on trails in the Sierra Nevadas. Runners climb a total of 18,000 feet and descend 23,000 feet. The race begins at 5AM, runners are given 30 hours to complete it. Gunhild had completed the race in 2002 with a time of 27:57, the record for women over 60 was 26:41.

Her son Chris paced her, following her chart to keep her on track. But mainly she just put her head down and pushed hard. She finished in 25:40:30, breaking the women’s record and finishing before the men over 60. Her record still holds today.

KEY TO HAPPINESS

“You don’t have to be extreme, you certainly don’t have to run 100 miles to find happiness. But you do need to restore or keep your health. Doesn’t matter what age you start,” Gunhild exhorts, “People start in their late fifties and become great athletes! You need to do physical activity on a regular basis and you will find the benefit.”

 

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