An Interview With Charlie Lawrence Following His 50-Mile World File on the 2023 Tunnel Hill 50 Mile – iRunFar

On November 11, 2023, on the Tunnel Hill 50 Mile, up-and-coming runner Charlie Lawrence entered the historical past books by breaking the males’s 50-mile world document in a time of 4:48:21.

This time beats the earlier document of 4:50:08, set by Jim Walmsley in 2019, putting Lawrence proper up there with a few of the greatest ultrarunners on the earth.

We caught up with him to be taught slightly bit about his background, concerning the build-up to this document try, and to listen to how issues performed out on the day.

[Editor’s Note: The following interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.]

iRunFar: Congratulations on the brand new 50-mile world document. You had some sturdy outcomes earlier than this on the highway within the marathon and half marathon distance. May you briefly discuss us by your background as a runner?

Charlie Lawrence: I coach about 14 or 15 folks, and I’ve been within the sport for a very long time. My mother was my highschool cross-country coach, and my dad was a monitor coach once I was born. Lengthy story brief, my dad and mom acquired divorced once I was in first grade. So, in second grade, it was both go to cross nation and monitor with my mother or go to daycare.

It developed from there throughout highschool. [My coach through college] is one in every of my greatest pals, greatest mentors within the sport, and I actually wouldn’t have gotten the shot I did after school with out him. I used to be not a rockstar in school, I used to be first rate, All Area in cross nation.

[Editor’s Note: Lawrence ran cross country at the University of Minnesota, an NCAA Division I school.]

We set our eyes on simply getting a half marathon proper after school. He continued to teach me after which in spring 2018 I did the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon in Minnesota, only a couple hours up the highway from Minneapolis [where I lived then], and ran 64:14. On the time I used to be like, that’s a fairly strong basis with the half distance.

Everybody began asking, “Are you going to run a marathon?” I stared to think about a U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier, and the usual at the moment was 2:19. I’m like, yeah, it will be a cool form of bucket checklist factor, simply to qualify for the trials. So, we selected the USATF Marathon Street Championships [at the California International Marathon] in 2018 to be my shot at a qualifier time.

I used to be working a full-time job in ticket gross sales and likewise ending my graduate diploma, so it was a fairly busy fall and summer season. I acquired it completed in 2:16:10 there as my marathon debut. I say this rather a lot now, however 2:16:10 in 2018 was rather a lot higher than it’s these days. It was nonetheless the early growth of tremendous footwear and all that.

I’ve now been out right here [living and running in Boulder, Colorado,] for 4 years or so and had some fairly common outcomes, in truth, simply been getting wholesome. I used to be out all of 2022 with a stress fracture after which had some first rate outcomes for certain. I assume that’s the lengthy story brief.

iRunFar: You’re nonetheless fairly new to lengthy distances then. Was this your first extremely or had you completed 50 kilometers earlier than?

Lawrence: I’ve completed 50k. Off the bat and fairly lucky, an individual who I owe a ton of credit score to, is Des Linden. I knew her husband Ryan first, however we adopted one another on Instagram and he or she simply mentioned messaging backwards and forwards, “In case you want something, let me know.” We saved in contact over a pair beers and occasional right here and there, some runs.

Then in 2021 she talked about, with races canceled [because of the COVID-19 pandemic], that she wished to take a stab on the 50k world document, and I used to be like, “Hey, if I may help in any approach, let me know. I can tempo you if that was one thing you’d be keen on.” And she or he was like, “Nicely yeah, I’ll want a pacer for it.” So, it simply labored out that, already being a good friend of hers, and as somebody I look as much as rather a lot, it was an awesome alternative. I paced her for that 50k [where she set the then 50k world record].

I ran the USATF 50k Street Championships seven weeks after that and blew up. Actually, I didn’t respect the space. I went for the win approach too early, began working 5-minute miles, a few sub-5s, and simply blew up. I ran 3:09 or one thing. I used to be fairly frankly fairly embarrassed with it. However once more, a studying expertise, you’ve acquired to respect it. So, to an extent, that was my extremely distance expertise. I’d run, I assume, 5 marathons. However my favourite day of the week is Sunday future.

iRunFar: With the 2023 Tunnel Hill 50 Mile, in your social media, you nailed your colours to the mast by calling it out as a document try beforehand. How lengthy had you had this concept to attempt to break the 50-mile world document?

Lawrence: In truth, about two years. In 2021, I’m unsure if you already know who Fernando Cabada is, however he’s somebody I’ve recognized since my first race post-collegiately. I watched him win the USTAF Marathon Street Championships again in 2008 once I was in center college. He’s somebody I can bounce stuff off. I used to be having dinner with Fernando in 2021, that fall, and he was doing a little extremely stuff himself. I advised him I wished to go for the 50-mile American document [which was also the world record].

Sadly, I got here down with a grade-four stress fracture that January. In order that undoubtedly put it on maintain. However he’s the one who was like, “You are able to do it, you must do it at Tunnel Hill.” I by no means heard of the race earlier than that. It’s form of been on my radar, I assume. This objective actually got here up two years in the past.

iRunFar: The document you broke was set by Jim Wamsley. Did it make it extra intimidating, or extra interesting, to have such a giant title hooked up to the document?

Lawrence: Actually, not intimidating in any respect. Some folks undoubtedly chuckle at it and there’s undoubtedly part of overconfidence on my aspect due to how, I don’t wish to say easy, however I may on any given day go run 30 miles at 5:40 per mile tempo in Boulder. There’s half that’s mentally — it’s solely 20 miles, you want to do 20 miles extra at that tempo, and whenever you issue within the altitude. So actually not intimidated in any way.

I knew it was a tall activity, so you bought to go do it. My largest day ever in observe was 35 miles, so there’s nonetheless the unknown of 15 miles, and for lots of people 15 miles remains to be a future, so that you’re stacking rather a lot on it. However no, undoubtedly simply tremendous, tremendous assured in myself and the work I put in the previous couple of months. Nearly overly assured, in truth, however on the identical time that’s how I get for these races. Simply really imagine I can do it.

iRunFar: Your pacing technique — you appeared to begin slower and ease into it. Was that the plan and the way did that work out?

Lawrence: Really, it was a large number, however the [the published splits from the race] had been approach off.

iRunFar: Oh, okay! What really occurred then?

Lawrence: Yeah, I had some huge cash within the financial institution. I used to be beneath 5:40 for each mile [in the first half of the race.] My first mile at 5:40 was mile 25, it was 5:40 even. So, I had loads of time within the financial institution.

iRunFar: Had been there any low factors within the second half or had been you in a position to maintain that effort pretty properly?

Lawrence: No, it acquired laborious. It acquired actually laborious. I needed to actually decide to it and keep on it.

Comparatively, it’s a flat, quick course — however there’s a stretch from roughly mile 30 to mile 38 or 39, it’s all uphill, it’s nothing steep however you’re climbing your complete time. Which is nice, however on the identical time I have already got 30-ish miles in my legs at 5:40 tempo. I needed to put loads of effort in to keep up tempo up that.

Then you definitely flip round, you have got this downhill going again house after you undergo the tunnel, it’s nice. Clearly you’re working downhill towards the end the final eight, 9 miles. However at that time, I’d caught to it actually laborious for 30 to 40 miles to verify I had it. My quads had been fairly fried from climbing and the 40 miles prior, so working downhill didn’t really feel nice.

iRunFar: What’s subsequent for you? Have you ever acquired the rest in thoughts?

Lawrence: Quick time period, I’ve the Olympic Marathon Trials arising in 80 days. That’s actually the plan, to perhaps get a quick half, to run the Houston Half Marathon to work on some pace.

Past that, a giant objective is the USATF 100k Street Championships arising, so far as I do know, subsequent fall. I’d like to go get a title there.

I do know issues change with [the International Association of Ultrarunners] and every part, however we’d like to additionally attempt to chase a U.S. 50k title down the highway, make a worlds crew there.

And to be aggressive on the marathon, as a result of I believe being environment friendly on the marathon and with the ability to run 5:10 per mile and even faster helps exponentially with with the ability to run 5:40 to five:50 tempo for a 50 miles, or 5:50 to 6-minute tempo, for 100k. So completely if you are able to do that, you’re competing for world medals.

iRunFar: You may have heaps to sit up for. Thanks a lot for taking the time to talk, and I hope you recuperate properly.

Lawrence: Thanks.