In Brightroom.com photo, Frank Probst (64) of Burke, VA was first in his division with 8:04:58.

"I cannot imagine running 50 miles. I'll tell you this - you guys are crazy! And in the running world, crazy means two things - tough and respected." These are the words of Jaron Hawkins of the Cumberland Valley Athletic Club (CVAC). He was the third place finisher in the 2007 Marine Corps Marathon in a time of 2:25:34.

Hawkins was making a comment about the participants of the 45th JFK 50 Miler which was held on Saturday, November 17, 2007. The JFK 50 Miler is the largest 50-mile ultra marathon in the nation (1,079 finishers). It is also rich in history.

In 1963 President John F. Kennedy urged Americans to get fit and suggested one way to do that was a 50-mile hike. U.S. News & World Report (February 25, 1963) reported that Attorney General Robert Kennedy completed a "non-stop" 50 miles in 17 hours. Also, Marine Brig. General R. McC. Tompkins did 50 miles in 15 hours 32 minutes.

The first JFK 50 Mile Challenge was held in the spring of 1963; there were four finishers, Steve Cosition, James Ebberts, Rick Miller, and Buzz Sawyer. Their time was 13:10. After the assassination of President Kennedy in November 1963, the race name was changed to the JFK 50 Mile Memorial in 1964.

The start of the race is in Boonsboro, MD, which was founded by brothers George and William Boone (relatives of Daniel Boone). The town was drawn up in 1788 and incorporated in 1831.

The first 2.5 miles is along a paved road that climbs to 500 feet to meet the Appalachian Trail. The Trail is a 2,175-mile greenway from Maine to Georgia. The next 13 miles (except for miles 3.5 to 5.5 miles) follows a rocky section of the famous North-South footpath. The rocky portion is very demanding, with ups and downs and unsteady footing on the sometimes sharp rocks, which could cause injury in the event of a fall. There are portions where the runner has to walk. The "strategy" along this section is simply to remain on your feet.

At 14.5 miles the course goes down a series of steep switchbacks on a narrow path just wide enough for one person. The pace through this segment slows. At the bottom, the race transitions onto the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. The Canal segment is flat and unpaved from mile 15.5 to 41.8. At Dam #4 along the C&O Canal the course returns to rolling paved roads for the last 8.4 miles. Near dusk, all of the runners are given reflective vests to wear. The finish is located at Springfield Middle School in Williamsport, MD.

The typical JFK runner is one who seeks a unique experience, has a love for the sport, looks for the ultimate challenge, and accepts the risk of failure and/or injury. There is a time limit for reaching each checkpoint and you can be pulled off the course for not maintaining pace. Speed is important but finishing is the ultimate prize.

The third time was a charm for Michael Wardian of Team Pacers/Brooks. Wardian completed 13 marathons this year which included the Olympic Marathon Trials. It took Wardian 24 miles to take the lead from Pete Breckinridge of Norfolk, VA, the 2006 defending champion (6:04:40). Wardian ran into the history books by finishing in 5:50:34, the second fastest winning time. The course record is 5:46:22 set in 1994 by Eric Clifton.

Zachariah Miller of Ann Arbor, MI, was second with a time of 6:02:02. The third finisher was Matthew Lavine of Crystal Lake, IL in 6:06:07. Mark Lundblad of Swannanoa, NC was fourth in 6:09:17. In fifth place was Eric Grossman of Emory, VA, in 6:20:50.

Michael Wardian is a 1996 graduate of Michigan State where he played lacrosse. He ran his first marathon in '96 and qualified for Boston. Last year Wardian had to drop out due to an injury; this year he had a different plan, "I think my fitness level and patience early in the race paid off for me at JFK. Also, I feel like I finally ran a race where everything I have learned over the years came together and I executed my race strategy as thoroughly as possible."

The JFK can hold surprises for the first timer. Wardian provided some advice, "For a first time runner I would know what your goal is going into the race because when things get 'tough' it will help to have that goal in your mind and then you can rally around it."

It is easy to look at the JFK after it's over to see what could have been done differently and for Wardian, "If I had to run the event over, I would push harder over the last eight miles, I think I could have done better, looking back, but I was pretty tired so I did what I thought I could."

Anne Lundbald of Swannanoa, NC was the first female finisher overall and also first in the masters division with her time of 6:42:50. She is the 2005 winner (6:29:42) and course record holder.

Annette Bednosky of Jefferson, NC was second in 7:10:29. Third place went to Francesca Conte of Charlottesville, VA, in 7:24:29. Jennifer Davis of Princeton, NJ was fourth in 7:41:35. Susan Hutchinson of Ancaster, Ontario was fifth in 7:45:59.

One of the new inductees to the 500 Mile Club is Joe Lugiano of Cary, NC who finished in 12:47:07. Mike Malinin, the drummer for the Goo Goo Dolls, was coming off an injury and finished the race in 11:50:59.

There are two prestigious clubs of the JFK 50 Mile, the "500 Mile Club," for those who have completed 10 runnings and to date there are 243 members, and the "1,000 Mile Club," with 30 runners who have completed 20 runnings with the newest 2006 inductees: Dave Downin, David Janosko, and Dale Rhoderick.

"After winning my second consecutive JFK 50 Mile in 1983 (6:12:12), I announced my retirement to the press at the finish line of the event. I would later reconsider, and raced the JFK 50 Mile in '84, '85, '87, '88 and '90 before ultimately retiring. At the finish line in 1983 I told Buzz Sawyer that, when he needed to give the race up, I'd be interested in taking over as race director. A few years went by and . . . we decided that I would take over after he directed the 30th Annual JFK 50 Mile in 1992. I worked under Buzz during the 1991 and 1992 JFK 50 Mile events," stated Mike Spinnler.

"I envision the JFK 50 Mile transcending many generations and a 100th Annual JFK 50 Mile being held in November 2062. I probably won't be around but I hope my sons are there enjoying that event with great pride. A high point was when we became the first U.S. ultra marathon to ever officially finish more than 1,000 runners (1,017 in 2006)."

Spinnler continued, "When people walk away from the finish line of the JFK 50 Mile I want them to feel like-with hard work and persistence-anything is possible. By and large the people who finish the JFK 50 Mile are the same type of individuals achieving excellence in every other avenue of their lives."

In Brightroom.com photo, Joe Rubenstein of Springfield, VA somehow found time to train for his ultra while working races almost every weekend with Caoital Running Company. He finished in 11:09:58.

The author finished his second JFK 50 in 10:50:00. The 46th race is scheduled for November 22, 2008.