Chad Ricklefs
Events: Ultra running

Winning the 2002 USA 100 km Championship title and a place on the USA 100 km Team to race the World Cup 100K in Taiwan in November 2003, was Chad Ricklefs' reward for challenging himself with the competition at a national ultra championship. "Knowing that all of the hard work and sacrifices made along the way that paid off with thrill of the emotional high as I crossed the finish line," says Ricklefs of his first experience at championship ultra racing.

Living in Boulder, Colo. and training and racing at altitude may have prepared the competitive ultrarunner for the snow, mud, and strong winds of the 2002 Edmund Fitzgerald 100K held in Duluth, Minn. in October 2002. Ricklefs was drawn to this national championship because he enjoys racing ultras as a competitor and believed that the national championship venue would be a great outlet to fulfill his competitive needs: and he was right. Ricklefs (35) describes his 100 km championship race effort--"Having the next runner only 45 seconds behind me for almost three hours was one of the most stressful situations I have been in. Never knowing exactly how that person was feeling, or whether he was just letting me hang out there to crash and burn made the race even more challenging. In the end, by not giving in, or falling back, I learned how important it is to never question myself or let up." He won the 62-mile race in 7:09:29.

For his performance at the 100 km national championships, his course record of 17:23:18 at the 2002 Leadville Trail 100, a 100-mile trail race in the Colorado Rockies, and other significant trail performances in 2002, Ricklefs was named USATF Ultrarunner of the Year. As a trail specialist with crossover talent for ultra road racing, Ricklefs is pleased that the ultra championships schedule now includes trail races.

5/03