Michael Bur, 38, of Kensington, Maryland completed the sixth and final one hundred mile ultramarathon in California at the end of September to finish his bid to do ultrarunning's Last Great Race.

Considered ultrarunning's toughest series challenge, the Last Great Race requires entrants to complete six 100 mile cross country runs in four months--one race every three weeks. Each run is done "all at once" and the maximum time alloted for each race ranges from 28 to 36 hours. The event is grueling both physically and mentally as it allows very little time between races to recover. The finishing rate for each individual race typically ranges from forty to seventy percent. Since its inception in 1989, only 22 men and four women have been successful in their attempt to complete the Last Great Race.

The schedule:

Jun 7-8, Old Dominion 100 (Virginia), 23:35:58
June 28-29, Western States 100 (California), 27:49:50
Jul 19-20, Vermont Trail 100 (Vermont), 21:57:29
Aug 16-17, Leadville Trail 100 (Colorado), 27:28:01
Sep 6-7, Wasatch Front 100 (Utah), 34:27:18
Sep 27-28, Angles Crest 100 (California), 32:50:33

The November-December issue of the Washington Running Report will feature an article by Michael Bur on his experiences in completing the Last Great Race.

Additional information on the Last Great Race. Michael Bur can be contacted via e-mail or phone: (301) 404- 6452.