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Sean Workowski of Fincastle is a long distance runner, to say the least.  On June 28, Workowski completed the Western States 100, a 100 mile race from Squaw Valley to Auburn, CA.  While his day on June 27 started out at about 40 degrees, the temperature going through the canyons got over 102 degrees-a sharp contrast to a race he did in February called the Black Mountain Challenge where a blizzard caused the race to be shut down and evacuated.  The temperature mixed with the steepness of the terrain, over 18,000 feet ascending and 22,000 descending, were both more difficult to deal with than Sean had anticipated, but they weren't enough to keep him from finishing.  With medical checks along the way, at one point Workowski had lost 6 pounds in one hour.

Workowski realized he was meant for long distance running after completing many marathons.  "I could never be competitive in marathons because I'm not fast," he said.  "On a whim I decided to do a 40 mile race and found out I could do great.  I don't have a problem doing the long distances."

From that point on he has been doing long 40 and 50 mile races, one of which qualified him for the 2008 Western 100 that was cancelled because of the California wildfires.  The cancellation gave Workowski an automatic bid for this year, so he has technically been training for the race for two years.

In the months preceeding the race, Workowski had been running up to 120 miles per week, generally off road.  Though his family is very supportive, he did not want the race to interfere with his work or family life, so he was running very early in the morning or late in the evening. Kids Julia, 13, and Aaron, 8, find their dad's hobby amusing.  Aaron particularly loves the belt buck his dad won for finishing the 100. Christine, his wife, has been "not only supportive, but understanding of the amount of time it takes to train."

Others who have helped Sean outside of his family include Ronnie Clay and Blaine Lewis.  Blaine, owner of Fleet Feet in Roanoke, helped with Sean's shoe selection and sizing, a very important aspect when running for so long.  Ronnie was Sean's pacer, someone who runs beside the racer and makes sure they stay on course.  Because the race is so long, it's possible that the runners begin to not think clearly at a certain point.  Workowski said that just knowing Ronnie was waiting for him at mile 62 kept him going.  Ronnie also helped break up the night time run.

Though many can't imagine even attempting a race of this magnitude, Sean said that the last 10 miles were the most grueling.  By that point, he had crossed many creeks and had wet, swollen feet that were covered in blisters.  He had also begun feeling dizzy and had the sensation of painful shocks going through his feet.  He kept running, though, and though many dropped out Sean finished in 28 hours and 22 minutes, good enough for 151st place and some amazing stories.

Sean plans to do the race again next year, as well as some other 100 mile races to build up his resume.  His ultimate goal is to be compete in Badwater, an invitation only 135 mile race from Death Valley to Mt. Whitney, CA.