The ultra runner betting on 24-hours of running glory
Sho Gray is taking a year out of work in an attempt to win the US National 24-hour championship
What’s the biggest bet you’ve ever made?
Many of us might take part in whatever lottery is local to us, gambling a few pounds on the hope our lucky numbers will come in.
But Sho Gray’s bet involves so much more - and it’s on himself.
The ultra runner has taken the unusual decision to take a year out of work, using his savings to sustain him while he pursues a spectacular running goal.
Sho is hoping to end 2024 as the winner of the US National 24-Hour Championship. In doing so and hitting a minimum target of 145 miles, he would qualify for the American 24-hour National Team and earn himself a shot at the next 24-hour World Championship in Albi, France on October 25 next year.
He told Running Tales: “It’s a little crazy. For the longest time, I’ve had this plan to save up enough money so that I can pretty much put it all into one year - I can basically bet on myself and see what I can do.
“And I thought that this year would be the perfect year.”
Taking on his younger sister - and Harvey Lewis:
The US championship is slated to take place in November, giving Sho just months to make good on his bet.
But, despite the undoubted magnitude of that challenge, it’s safe to say the professional runner isn’t coming at the race from a standing start.
Sho, who started running while at an international school in Japan - “my younger sister says I told her I was going to do cross-country to beat her, but I don't remember that” - is the Tennessee State Record holder for the 100-mile distance and has taken on a host of long-distance events, including Tahoe 200.
He even managed to finish second in the 2019 US National 24-Hour Championship, bested only by ultra running legend Harvey Lewis.
Lewis, a multiple member of the American 24-hour team and two-time winner of the Badwater Ultra, ran 450-miles in capturing the Big Dog’s Backyard Ultra in October 2023.
If Sho is to achieve his goal of winning this year’s US championship it may be Lewis is one of the experienced competitors he has to overcome.
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Back in 2019, Sho took advantage of extreme heat to move up the field and eventually grab second place as more fancied runners dropped out with exhaustion.
He said modestly: “I got lucky in 2019. It was a really hot day, so I went from running very well to just walking and making sure that my hydration was up.
“I went from about second or third place all the way down to 14th. And, from there, I was thinking, ‘this is going to be interesting’.
“But during the time I was doing that, people started dropping because of the heat.
“Heat exhaustion is serious, especially when you're running for hours and hours and hours. When the sun started going down and I started picking back up and starting to run, I went from 14th to tenth.
“By the time two o’clock in the morning rolled around, I found myself in second place and just kept at it.”
Embracing ‘the golden ticket’ idea:
Aside from the possibility of lining up against Harvey Lewis again, Sho anticipates there will be between ten and 15 runners capable of winning the US championship.
He lists Pete Kostelnick, best known for setting the world record for the fastest coast-to-coast crossing of America by foot, and Jacob Moss, who qualified for the US team in 2020, as just two potential rivals.
Sho said: “My friend Jacob Moss says he's not going to take part, but he could always change his mind.
“There’s quite a few people out there that are super strong. I'd say there's probably a solid 10 to 15 people that could compete, and maybe five to seven of them will actually go to the US championships.
“Others will probably choose to go a different route and want to qualify via running 24 hours on a track, because on a track you can do far more mileage.
“The championships are not on a track, so it’s going to be a little bit difficult to do that. But it's the golden ticket idea.
“If you get first in that and you get the qualifying distance down, then that's an automatic entry. So that's what I'm going for. We'll see what happens.”
Qualifying for the 2025 US National 24-hour team:
Sho Gray is hoping to qualify for the American 24-hour team by winning the US championship.
In doing so, he will also need to reach a minimum distance of 145 miles (233.348 km) during the race.
But winning the championship isn’t the only way to qualify.
The following qualification standards must be reached to be considered for the US team:
Athletes who place in the top three (gold, silver, or bronze medal position) at the 2023 IAU World 24-Hour Championship will receive automatic selection to the 2025 Championship assuming the total distance achieved is greater than 145 miles (233.348 km) for men and 130 miles (209.209 km) for women.
The winner of the 2024 US National 24-Hour Championship, if contested, will receive automatic selection to the 2025 World Championship, providing the runner achieves the minimum distance of 145 miles (233.348 km) for men and 130 miles (209.209 km) for women.
Minimum standards for consideration at other relevant events:
Male: 140 miles (225.308 km)
Female: 125 miles (201.168 km)If there are fewer than six men or six women meeting the qualifying standards for selection accepting team positions, then and only then will consideration be given to athletes with noteworthy performances at distances of 100 miles or greater.
In an effort to fill all men’s and women’s positions, if all criteria listed above do not fill the 24-hour US teams, to include up to three men’s and three women’s alternates, the committee reserves the right to fill the remaining positions on resumes submitted.
‘Nobody’s perfect - but I know who I am’:
Sho said when taking on the giants of the 24-hour ultra running world, it will be vital for him to concentrate on his own race.
“There’s no point in thinking about someone else because they're going to do what they're going to do and I'm going to do what I'm going to do,” he said.
“Regardless of what they do, I will follow my plan and be the best that I can be and that's all I can do.
“I’m not going to care too much about what they do. Obviously, if it goes down to the wire, then things will matter. But it's a 24-hours race. I'm not going to be worried for the first 20-something hours of it.”
Sho told Running Tales that while bettering himself physically and taking on challenges like the 24-hour championship are hugely important to him, his ultimate goal is to become a better person.
“It's nice to have little trophies and things like that, but what's even better is knowing that even if you have a bad day, regardless of if you have a good or bad day, you know who you are, and you are that strong person,” he said.
“Nobody is perfect. Everybody makes mistakes. And even a strong person, a very amazing runner, will mess up.
“But that doesn't take away from who they are, because who they are is what they consistently do.
“And if I consistently work towards my goals, I know exactly who I am.”
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