Four 100-milers in less than three months time; Sharman sets new world record of 69 hours and 49 minutes

Julbo USA athlete Ian Sharman sets a new Grand Slam of Ultrarunning record with the impressive time of 69 hours and 49 minutes – breaking the previous record by more than five hours.

After competing in his third Western States in 2012, Sharman’s running mindset shifted and his focus turned towards winning the coveted Grand Slam of Ultrarunning. On Sept. 7, 2013, Sharman completed the Grand Slam, racing in all four of the oldest 100-milers in the country, including the Western States Endurance Run, the Vermont 100 the Leadville 100, and most recently the Wasatch Front 100.

For the competitive Sharman, just completing the Grand Slam was not the ultimate goal. Sharman had his mind focused on the standing record – Neal Gorman’s 2010 Grand Slam time of 74 hours, 54 minutes, 16 seconds), and he was determined to best that time and set a new record.

“Participating in the Grand Slam has been such a time commitment and everything in my life was focused on it,” Sharman said. “The support I have received from my fans, friends and the Julbo team helped me focus on the end result and push myself to victory.”

During the Wasatch Front 100, the final race of the Grand Slam, Sharman started with his competitor and friend Nick Clark, but Clark disappeared quickly out of the gates. Though worn down from months of running, Sharman was able to overcome and maintain second place for most of the day. It was a difficult race – much of it in complete darkness, over extremely technical sections. Clark crossed the finish line first; breaking Gorman’s record, but not too far back was Sharman, crossing the finish line in the dark and resetting a new Grand Slam time record.

The Grand Slam of Ultrarunning has tested all facets of Sharman’s running game. Challenges ranged from temperature aversion at the Western States, battling humidity in Vermont, handling the extremes of elevation during Leadville, and conquering climbing fears at dark in the Wasatch. As daunting a task as the Grand Slam was, Sharman persevered and took 4th at the Western States and Vermont 100, 1st at the Leadville 100, and 2nd at the recent Wasatch Front 100.

As if running four 100-milers in less than three months was not enough, Sharman already has future plans set for the Comrades Marathon in South Africa and the Boston Marathon.

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Image courtesy Julbo