Runners Compete in Race for Over 24 Hours Straight

The 2nd annual Last Runner Standing competition started with over 100 racers.

DULUTH, Minn.- Runners in Duluth raced for over 24 hours straight, trekking over a hundred miles in the 2nd annual ‘Last Runner Standing’ competition.

The race began 10 a.m. Saturday on a four mile course at Spirit Mountain with a new race began every hour on the hour.

The competition was a way to give runners something a little more challenging to compete in than a typical race.

“Seeing these runners do this, it’s inspiring for people to see that and i think in the long run we hope it can inspire someone else to decide to go run a 5k or run a mile,” race co-director Andy Holak said.

Sunday morning there were only a few runners left in the competition including Mark Emmons, who finished in 4th place.

Mark ran for 25 hours straight, totaling 104 miles and beating his goal of 103 miles which he ran in the ‘Superior Hundred’ race last year.

“There’s all kinds of ups and downs within a race this long and it really forced you to see what you can do. See what you can accomplish if you just keep going, if you keep putting one foot in front of the other,” Emmons said.

The race started with around 100 runners. The final two competitors ended up running over 30 and over 120 miles each.