The Ultramarathon Maniac





Background 
Leopoldo Leo Martinez was born on July 26, 1978 and was raised in Lubbock, Tx. He moved to Austin in the early 2000s. He helped start the Austin project, later the November Project, a program that holds free workouts all around the city or in Leo's words "Free99 workouts". Leo recently on September 15th and 16th completed the Run Rabbit Run 100-miler, which took him 35 hours to complete. 

The beginning 
Leo's running journey began in 2017 at the Zilker relays. In October of that same year he signed up for a 10k run where he experienced what people call a "Runners High" . He wanted a bigger challenge so he moved up to half and full marathons by 2020. He didn't stop there, as he signed up for a 100-mile ultramarathon in 2020 as well. To this day, Leo has ran five 100-mile races. 



Specialization
"Ultramarathons is the sweet spot for me", Leo said in our interview. Anything over a full marathon is an ultramarathon and is most likely held in a trail setting. It's a grueling race that takes a lot out of the body and the mind. A race that is not made for the weak.



Shoes
Running gear is crucial to performance, specifically running shoes. When it comes to road running shoes, Leo has three in rotation: the Mach 5 as it is super light weight and could be used for any types of runs, Saucony Endorphin Speed 3 for a soft fast shoe, and Asics Gel Cumulus for a firmer feel. When it comes to trail shoes, he uses the Hoka Mafate Speed 4 and Craft CTM Ultras. 

Training
Leo described his preparation for the Run Rabbit Run 100-miler as "Not a conventional training plan". Having a son, two jobs, and trying to live his life occupies much of his time, so Leo is limited to a lower mileage. He cracked over 50 miles per week only once before this race. Going to the gym multiple times a week and leading the November project is a form of cross training for Leo, which is good for making a solid aerobic base and strengthening his legs to take the beating of an ultramarathon. 

Thoughts
Something I ask runners frequently is what they think about when they run. While running, Leo tries his best to stay in the present. When running ultra marathons you're by yourself for miles on end, and during this time your mind could go to "dark places", according to Leo. "Try not to stay in the dark too long because you start thinking to much. Enjoy the scenery and nature", Leo says. 

Why do you run? 
As a person who originally hated running, you have to ask, why do you run? Why do people put themselves through so much pain and fatigue? Is it for health reasons? Mental? or just for fun?  In Leo's eyes the main thing he gets from running is Mental Therapy, not needing to think about anything else just run and finishing the race, putting himself through fatigue to get mentally and physically stronger. 

Enjoyment
"As somebody who hated running in the past, I can now say, I enjoy it more than ever" says Leo. Having this shared physical pain with his friends when running long distances is something special to him. Also finishing the Run Rabbit Run 100 miler in Colorado, where he saw mountains more beautiful than heaven reassured his love for running.  

Accomplishments 
After all the races, the kilometers , and the miles he has ran thus far,  his greatest accomplishment was this past race of the Run Rabbit Run 100 miler that took place in Colorado. "This run was the hardest thing I have ever done" According to Leo. The first 4 miles of this run has 5000 feet of elevation which is hard by itself but needing to run 96 more miles after that sounds grueling and painful. 



What's next? 
The next couple weeks for Leo will be all recovery than from there start hitting the gym and building up miles to create a good base. In February of 2024 Leo will start training for The Big Foot 200 miler that circles Mount St. Helens (the photograph above) on August 9th of 2024. 



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