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Salisbury’s John Zerger sometimes runs short races, like the 26.2-mile marathon distance.
But the 38-year Catawba College math professor often goes for longer, more challenging runs — 100 miles or so.
Zerger, chair of the Catawba math department, ran 102 miles in a 24-hour charity run in Woodsfield, Ohio, earlier this month. The 23rd annual Woodsfield Run for Children has helped raise more than $300,000 for children’s hospitals over the past 22 years.
Zerger has already raised better than $300 for the Pediatric Unit at Rowan Regional Medical Center and hopes to receive more donations. Checks should be made payable to Rowan Regional Medical Center Foundation, 118 E. Council St., Salisbury, N.C., 28144-5020. Note on the check that it is in support of the “Run for Children.”
“The objective was to cover as much distance as possible. You can stop, and you can sleep. I stayed pretty much on my feet until I got 102 miles,” Zerger said of the Ohio run in cold weather.
“It got down to 16 degrees. I took a break about 2 in the morning, changed clothes and went back out. I had gone about 85 miles,” Zerger explained. The event started at 9 a.m.
The runners ran a one-mile course through the streets of Woodsfield, a town of approximately 2,500 people.
“I’ve done eight or nine 24-hour track runs, but I haven’t done one in about seven years,” said
Zerger. “I’ve done about 50 ultramarathons (longer than 26.2 miles). Most of them are 50K(31 miles) or 50 miles. I did a couple of 48-hour runs.” His longest distance covered for 48 hours is 166.3 miles, while he’s gone 115.5 in 24 hours.
His best times for races over a specific distance have been 8 hours, 50 minutes for 100K (62 miles); 6:21 for 50 miles; and 3:40 for 50K.
Zerger has also run his share of regular marathons, starting when he was a 15-year-old high school cross country and track athlete at Salina, Kans.
“I’ve run 56 marathons. My best time is 2:40:12,” he said.
Fitting for a math professor, Zerger also pointed out that he has now run exactly 100 marathon and
ultramarathons. He, however, doesn’t keep up with his total mileage, but thinks he’s in the 50,000 range.
Runners who have competed in marathons know it’s a mentally gruelling event, especially the last six miles.
Ultramarathoning, however, takes a different breed of runner.
“It takes stupidity or insanity,” quipped Zerger. “The bottom line is you have to stay out there. One hundred and two miles (in 24 hours) is about 4 1/2 miles an hour. Most people can walk that. It’s just a matter of staying out there and doing it. Anything longer than 100K, you have to intake food. You run into sleep deprivation, which is usually a shock to your system, also. It’s a lot of mind over matter.
“There’s a lot of mental aspects in almost any race, but over a longer period of time, you have more time to doubt yourself, especially is you’re doing a loop.”
Amazingly, Zerger doesn’t do extensive mileage in his everyday training.
“I average about 35 to 40 miles a week right now. I upped it a little bit for this 24-hour run. I seldom run less than 10 miles when I go out, usually a couple of 10s and a 15 or 20,” said the 6-foot, 170-pounder.
Zerger’s father, Ted, now 64, played a role in John’s becoming a runner at the age of 14.
“My dad had smoked for 20 years. When I was in the eighth grade and he turned 40, he quit. Then he gained weight really quick. About the time I was starting high school, he had started getting out and walking and jogging a little bit. Some friends of mine were running cross country to get in shape for basketball or swimming,” he said.
Zerger had planned to play basketball, but changed his mind.
“Once I figured out I was going to be sitting on the bench in basketball, I realized I could do two sports (cross country and track) and road racing,” he explained.
Zerger went on to run cross country and track at Bluffton College in Bluffton, Ohio. His best cross country 8K time (approximately 5 miles) was 26:38.
“I ran the marathon in the national NAIA meet. I was 17th,” he recalled.
Zerger, father Ted, mother Vera (age 63) and brother tom (36) all all runners and have run together in the same marathon.
“My mom has at least two or three state (Kansas) records for her age in the marathon. She had the masters (40&over) record at 3:23. I think she also has the Oklahoma state record for the half marathon and marathon for her age,” said
Zerger. “My father has run some ultras, but he had back surgery about three year ago. ... My brother just ran (a marathon) in Detroit a couple of days ago.”
Zerger’s parents still live in Salina, Kans. His brother, also a math professor, lives in Saginaw, Mich.
Zerger took a break after the 24-hour run before starting back to regular running, and he won’t be doing any ultras for awhile.
“I’ll probably run no ultras until spring because of the weather. I’ll probably jump in a marathon or two this fall. I’d like to go back to Atlanta on Thanksgiving Day and run the Olympic course,” he said.
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