Cloquet alumnus passes 'the ultimate test'

Throughout time, humankind has found numerous different ways to push the physical body to the limit. However, the ultramarathon stands alone as the ultimate test of an athlete's physical and mental endurance. Here in the Northland, 238 racers decided to push their limits and attempt to run the 50-mile Minnesota Voyageur Trail Ultra on Saturday, July 27.

Adam Doe, a 2006 Cloquet High School graduate, won the Voyageur with an overall time of 7 hours, 14 minutes, 36 seconds. Doe currently lives and trains in Colorado Springs with his wife, Amber Doe, but made the journey back to his hometown to brave the rugged, wooded trails between Carlton and Duluth.

Doe first got a taste of long distance running his junior year of high school, when he joined the Cloquet cross-country team. Before his junior year, Doe was exclusively a sprinter and ran for the track team at Cloquet. After he joined cross-country, he realized he was more competitive running the longer distances. He held on to this newfound passion through college, where he continued to train, getting faster and running longer with every year. While not officially on the team, Doe trained alongside many of the runners at the College of St. Scholastica and the University of Minnesota Duluth.

After college, Doe began to focus more and more on his running career. Without a coach, Doe was free to experiment with his training and became more motivated. He ran his first half marathon at the 2009 Grandma's race and continued to race longer distances across the country.

The Pine Knot News sat with the racer for a quick interview just before he and his wife were to leave for Colorado.

Pine Knot News: How many ultraraces (races between 50 and 100 kilometers) have you run?

Adam Doe: My very first ultra was the Lean Horse 50-kilometer in South Dakota. I ran that race in 2015, so I have been running ultras for four years. I would say that I have run around 15 ultra races between 50 and 100 kilometers since then.

PKN: Of the ultras you've run, which one is your favorite and why?

Doe: Probably my favorite ultra so far is last weekend's Voyageur 50, because Amber and I are both from here and my mom lives right outside of town. You know, it's fun to come back and run some of the trails we used to live by.

PKN: Do you have any plans for future races?

Doe: I have a 50K in September. It's the Mount Taylor 50K down in Grants, New Mexico, so I'll be running that race this year. I also hope to run a 100-mile race soon, probably next year, but a 100-mile race takes a lot of time and training to do and it can be pretty stressful, so it's kind of a tentative goal at the moment.

PKN: What was running through your mind as you were finishing the Voyageur 50?

Doe: During the last few miles, and for the whole race really, I was thinking that the next runner was coming to get me. I forced myself to keep going as fast as I could because I knew that if I didn't, someone would catch me. When I got to the finish, all I could think about was not tripping over the timing strip. By the time you run 50 miles, your legs don't always know what they're doing and it is easy to trip. As soon as I was done, I felt emotional. I dropped out of the race two years ago and got sixth last year, so I was extremely happy that I was able to come back to Minnesota and finally win the race. I wanted to make sure that I thanked all of my crew members that ran from station to station to help and support me.

PKN:If you could sit down for an hour with any three living people, who would they be and why?

Doe: My first pick would have to be Brett Favre. I'm a Packers fan, and he is the reason why. He just has so much passion for the sport he played and that is really awesome to see. My next pick would have to be Jim Walmsley; he's an ultramarathoner and probably the best trail ultrarunner in the world. He just has a really nice personality. He can seem a bit cocky sometimes but he is really down to earth at the same time. Amber got to meet him and said that he is a really good guy. And my final pick would probably be Tim McGraw. I like his music and he seems like he has a great attitude towards life.

PKN: What advice would you give to anyone wanting to try ultrarunning or even long-distance running in general?

Doe: You have to be patient and start slow. If you start running too hard or fast, you will burn out, get hurt, and become discouraged. You can't expect too much too soon, otherwise you will hate it. Trust the process and your training, your hard work will pay off. Don't worry about the pace too much - especially when you start to run farther or when you run on trails. Don't forget that running is supposed to be fun. If you love running, it is really a fun thing to do. As you start running races, remember that most of us runners aren't paid to run, we do it out of love for running. You have to keep that in mind over everything else because otherwise there is no point in doing it.