CENTRAL TEXAS RUNNING

Ultrarunner gears up for marathon, 40 miles at a time

By Brom Hoban
Tuesday, October 28, 2008

It's 12:30 p.m. on a Saturday, and Tim Neckar has just finished his weekend long run. Long, as in 40 miles — about 20 miles farther than most people's long run.

After a run of that distance, Neckar craves fatty foods, not carbohydrates. "I just had my cheeseburger, so I'm good," he said. "You burn mostly fat when running 40 miles."

The Houston native, who is training for the Austin Marathon among other things, is an ultrarunner and has competed in some of the world's most grueling races, so the Austin Marathon in February should be, as Neckar puts it, "a walk in the park."

A junior high and high school cross country runner, Neckar ran his first marathon at age 14. That was his first taste of distance, and he liked it.

In 1999, he was one of the first Texans ever to finish the Hardock 100-miler in Colorado. Since then, only a few more Texans have conquered what Neckar calls the toughest 100-miler in the world.

These days, the 47-year-old physical-education teacher and cross country coach at T.H. Rogers Middle School in Houston has not slowed down a bit. He'll run the Mother Road 100 in Oklahoma in two weeks, so he's at peak fitness right now, running around 125 miles a week.

"After school, I run with four to five clients a day, anywhere from three to five miles each, so I may put in 15 to 20 miles a day," said Neckar, who also coaches runners on the side.

Depending what he's training for, Neckar may run up to seven or eight hours — maybe 45 or 55 miles, often in Memorial Park, where he does 10-mile loops. On other weekends, he may take a break, skip running, and get a massage.

"I think you have to go through life challenging yourself, whether it be running or cycling, or any other sport," he said. "People have different gifts and they have to challenge themselves. It can be building computers or creating software; you have to push your limits. For me, it's just running. It may be part ego or vanity. Obviously the running is an addiction, an obsession. But I'd say it's better than drinking or substance abuse."

As he gears up for another season of trail and road racing that will include runs ranging from the full marathon to 100-milers, Neckar reflects on some of his more extreme races, which include the Marathon de Sables, a 150-mile, seven-day stage race through the Sahara Desert, where competitors run from 15-50 miles a day depending on the stage.

"You carry everything with you," he said. "You run through rocks and boulders and sand dunes for seven days. And there are no showers. You sleep outside in an open-air tent. And you eat whatever you carry with you. There are about 600 people who do it."

In 2002, Neckar got sick, but still finished. The next year, though it was very windy, he did considerably better, finishing in the top 100.

Though he's an ultra-man at heart, Neckar is no slouch in shorter distances either. With personal bests of 33:44 for the 10K and 2:49 for the marathon, he's far better than your average runner. But the ultra races have put the marathon in perspective. Neckar considers marathons speedwork for longer races.

"Austin will be a fast marathon for me," said Neckar. "I'd like to run a sub-three hours before I'm 50. But I know it will be close."

bhoban@earthlink.net

Upcoming races

Cornerstone 5K: 8:30 a.m. Saturday at St. John Neumann Catholic Church, runtex.com.

Wurst 5 Miler: 8 a.m. in Landa Park, New Braunfels, nbrunclub.com.