For those, unfamiliar with the world or sport of ultra-running. It is essentially an distance greater than a marathon (42.195 kilometers/26.219 miles). For us mere, mortals, a marathon is quite a distance, and would be consider an incredible achievement in and of itself.

For Jason, he can run 100 miles in a single race and can run 28 hours straight. He may not have blue spandex tights and a red flowing cape but I will certainly call him, superman.

To understand just how incredible he really is, here is a brief list of some of his running accomplishments:
On January 1st 2010, the year Jason was going to turn 40, he celebrated by lacing up his shoes and running 40 miles in a single outing.  That year he took on the Leadman challenge in Leadville, Colorado.  This was a series of 5 events that took place over a 10 week time period at 10,000′ elevation.

Jason finished the Trail Marathon, the 50 mile Mountain Bike Race, the 100 mile Mountain Bike Course, the 10k, but was pulled off the 100 mile trail run course by race officials at mile 85 after 26 hours on the course due to moving too slow to finish before the 30 hour cut-off.  He sought redemption in successive years and completed the Leadville 100 trail run in 2011, 2012 and 2013.  He has competed in a 72 Hour footrace where he placed 3rd and covered 205 miles.

He established and holds the World Records for the 100 mile, 24 hour, 48 hour and 72 hour runs for visually impaired athletes.  Jason completed a solo double crossing of the Grand Canyon in a single day.

Oh yeah, Jason also competed in Badwater, the world’s toughest foot race on the planet, a 135 mile (217 km) race that is completed non-stop running in some of the harshest conditions on the planet.

One more thing, he has completed three (3) ironmans.

There are those that seek to break through the limited mindset of the masses and push the boundaries of their mental, spiritual, emotional and physical boundaries, Jason Romero is  one such person.

Jason is doing what others only dream of, and he is doing it while he is blind.

That’s right, no excuses folks, put away the whine, pack up the boxes of complaints, and find out, in this fantastic interview, how Jason Romero is overcoming the odds and looking at breaking records in the process.

Thank you, Jason, for joining us, it is a true honor.

To begin….

Your story is without a doubt inspirational, could you tell us a little bit about how you got into running?

I always liked running in my younger years. My first experience with ultra-running was when I was a teenager and I saw my Uncle Ted Epstein
running a 6-day race on a 1/8th mile indoor track at the Boulder Fieldhouse. 

He was a pioneer of ultra-running as we know it today. I ran my first marathon in 1993 and didn’t run another one until 2007, when I decided to run a marathon as a fund-raiser for a non-profit school for children with Autism. Since 2007, I’ve had a bit of an endurance adventuring problem…I just can’t stop.  

I was telling my 11 years son about you and he was like, “Wow,”wanted to ask you a question, “how can you run when you are legally blind?” and “What has been the most miles you have run in one day?”

There are different levels of blindness. Some people who are legally blind have light perception, and some sight.

You are legally blind if your field of vision is 20 degrees or less…basically you just see what is directly in front of your eyes. You don’t have peripheral vision. With my eye condition the tunnel continues to get smaller until I don’t see any light. My field of vision is 15 degrees. You can also be considered legally blind if your visual acuity is 20/200 or worse.

My current acuity is 20/200-400 depending on whether I’m well rested or not.  There are other blind people with no light perception. At night-time, my eyes don’t pick up as much light as a healthy eye, so I wear bright headlamps to give them more light to see. I look weird, but I can be pretty independent still.

Most miles in a dat (24 hours) – 102.5 miles. Most miles in 1 race – 205 miles

When you run, what goes through your mind? What do you feel?

For the first couple hours, I’m thinking about life, the day, my kids, what I need to do, how my body feels, etc. After a couple of hours I become extremely present – meaning I don’t really think about anything. I am just moving, breathing, feeling the wind on my skin. When I get to that point, it is pure ecstasy.

Maybe its like meditation….I’m doing something I love and it’s so relaxing to settle in to a pace and rhythm that you can do forever.  I’ll come back from a long run (hours) and not even remember what happened during it – it’s weird.  I know I was out there because my watch shows the data, but my mind was not cluttered with all kinds of non-sense…I just was one with the elements

You have inspired people all around the world, who has inspired you in your life?

My Mom inspires me. She taught me that a strong work ethic can be the greatest equalizer. If you are willing to work hard, you can do amazing things. She is strong and stubbornly driven. All of these great characteristics, I get from her.

I am also inspired by my children. My oldest daughter is a creative dreamer. She is passionate about life, correcting injustices and can create beautiful things from nothing. My son is the nicest person you will ever meet. He is pure KINDNESS. He also has Autism and works hard everyday to overcome adversity on a daily basis. My youngest daughter has a smile that lights up a room, and when she becomes focused on something she won’t stop until it is mastered. 

My family is what and who inspires me.

If you could thank three people in your life who would they be and what would you say to each of them?

Jesus – Thank you Lord for sacrificing your life to save the world
Carly Gerhart – Thank you for coming into my life and selflessly supporting my training, VRU routing, and talking me through difficult times leading up to this attempt.
Mom – Thanks for always believing in me

What’s the most important lesson you have learned in life either personally or professionally?

You can always FIND A WAY.  If you try hard enough, and keep at it, you can do anything.

 In one sentence or phrase how would you define success?

Can’t do that . . . it’s a poem for me…..

SUCCESS

To laugh often and love much;

To win the respect of intelligent persons and the affection of children;

To earn the appreciation of honest citizens, and endure the betrayal of false friends;

To appreciate beauty;

To find the best in others;

To give of one’s self;

To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;

To have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung with exultation;

To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived;

This is to have SUCCEEDED!

What was the most challenging or difficult decision you had to make?

When I made the decision to get divorced . . . for obvious reasons.

What pearls of wisdom or words of advice would you have for those chasing their dreams?

“Follow your dreams” – (from my Mom)  They are your dreams, not other people’s dreams. 

Many will tell you that your dreams are foolish, impractical, impossible, fool-hearty and such.  Stay true to yourself, and listen to the little voice that excites you and tells you what you are called to do. 

The other important piece is, you must have Faith in something larger than yourself.  The only way I am able to even attempt this crossing is because I know I am not alone.  Every step of the way, I know that God will be there to carry me when I cannot carry myself.  If I thought for one minute that I was doing this alone, I would probably not even show up in Santa Monica.

What was the best decision you have made?

To go for VISIONRUNUSA!

What question should I have asked you that I didn’t ask? Why is that question important and what is the answer?

“What is it like to go blind?”
This is an important question because there’s a lot to learn from it. 

First, it’s terrifying.  Imagine being able to see, then having the lights turned off on you, permanently.  You go through a lot of emotions, grieving, depression, etc. 

It also forces you to constantly adapt, because you need to constantly find ways to do things as your sight changes.  A lot of relationships change – some people are really understanding and compassionate, some are not.  Relationships become purer and more real. 

You have a chance to really look inside yourself and decide whether you are going to just throw in the towel and quit, or whether you’re going to stay in the game and figure it out. 

It’s such a great path for personal growth.  It’s like any big challenge that we all face – my blindness is another person’s ADD, Dyslexia, Depression, nervous tic, sleep disorder, anxiety, etc. 

We all have something we are dealing with . . . and we are all capable of dealing with that situation effectively.  We just can’t give up.

Run and if you can’t run, walk.  Walk and if you can’t walk, crawl. Crawl and if you can’t crawl, get somebody to drag you.  Just never stop moving forward.

ONWARD!!!!
: )

Thanks Jason, great interview!!!

To learn more about Jason check out his site: http://www.relentlessromero.com/

You can also visit him at this Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/jason.romero.5283

And to learn about how he plans to run across America: www.visionrunusa.com/

Here is a great interview with Jason

One of the most treacherous mountain races on the planet, is the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc. The Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (also referred to as UTMB) is a single-stage mountain ultramarathon.

The race started in 2003 and has become one of the premiere mountain races simply for it’s high altitudes where racers are constantly challenged, climbing uphill or downhill the majority of the race.

It takes place once a year in the Alps, across France, Italy and Switzerland. The distance is approximately 166 kilometres (103 mi), with a total elevation gain of around 9,600 m. It is widely regarded as one of the most difficult foot races in Europe. It’s certainly one of the largest with over two thousand starters. The combined participation in all of the events is approaching 10 thousand runners.

While the best runners complete the loop in slightly more than 20 hours, most runners take 30 to 45 hours to reach the finish line. There is no prize money awarded.

The runners don’t run for the glory, for the podium, they run for the pleasure and personal satisfaction it brings them.

I was incredibly honored when Francois D’Haene agreed to do this interview especially with his busy training schedule.

François D’Haene is an expert ultra_trail runner and last year’s winner of the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc which as mentioned before is 166 kilometers  (103 mi), with a total elevation gain of around 9,600 m. He completed the race in 20 h 11 min. In addition, he is also the 2012 winner of Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc.

His list of accomplishments is quite impressive and just down right astounding:

He’s run a marathon in 2 h 34 min 52 s. (Current world record: 2 h 2 min 57 s.)

Could you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got into running?

Since I was young, I started running, and I have been involved in athletics for quite a long time now. and it’s been 10 years that I have been involved in trail running…

You have been in inspiration to millions around the world, who inspires you? Who are your mentors? 

What inspires me is nature, the mountains and overall adventure. The feelings being free when you are able to reach a summit and then another summit or a ridge behind that one. The possibility to discover everything with little or no effort.

What’s the most important lesson you have learned?

To take my time and listen to my body while I am in the mountains and during my long runs.

In one sentence or phrase how would you define success?

Success is just a consequence of some adaptation and some pleasure in the mountain.

What’s the most important personality trait that you feel has greatly helped you?

The pleasure to feel in the mountain for some adventure.

What is the most important book and or movie you have read and or watched? Why?

I don’t watch tv a lot and the same goes for books. I don’t have time for those things, also I don’t feel inspired by them.

What was the most difficult decision you had to make?

To choose and make my calendar each year. I always want to do too many things in one year!

What was the best decision you made?

To get married and have children.

What question should I have asked you that I didn’t? Why is it important and what is the answer?

What does trail running mean to you? For me, I  just want to insist that trail running is my own way to live some truly  inspiring moments in the mountains.

Have a good day.

You can learn more about Francois at his Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/francois.dhaene

You can learn more about his winery and his business at: http://domainedugermain.com/en/