One of the best professional ultrarunners, Karl Meltzer has won over 50 ultras, mainly at the 100 mile distance and has recorded one of the fastest Appalachian thru-hike in less than 55 days. Not tired yet, he is planning to run the AT again and win at least 35 100 mile races.

What has been your favourite race so far?
The Hardrock 100 is my favorite race, no other race compares to its difficulty and altitude, it is hard, and that's where I thrive the most.

What race would you like to run?
I would like to run the UTMB (The North Face Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc) again. I have some unfinished business there, after dropping in 2007, I know I can run in the front and place either 1st or at least top 5. I don't see that record as being super fast. It's hard to tell really how good it is because I haven't seen a fast American finish well there yet …including myself.

First race you won?
Wasatch 100, in 1998, set a course record at the time.

Crowded major events or quiet local ones?
That depends. The crowds at UTMB are overwhelming, but still it's very cool to see the enthusiasm there. In the US it's different, everyone likes the "low key" races where mom and pop run the aid stations. This is great, but big races usually bring big competition, where it is fun to run against lots of fast guys and gals. Like I said before, UTMB has not had real good competition to date. The problem with it is simple: they offer NO prize money, which I consider a shame because with all the money involved, they could offer at least $10,000 to win. But they don't. Many faster US runners would show up if that was on the line. It's hard to justify spending at least $5000 to travel for a 24 hr adventure.

One more reason to go running?
Because I love it, and because it's there. It's as simple as that!

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