Six-Day Ultramarathon Underway at Pettit Center
More than 100 athletes are competing, running hundreds of miles in the grueling event.
Nicolae Buceanu led the pack on day three, 70 hours into the competition. Photo taken June 21, 2023 by Sophie Bolich.
As flocks of Milwaukeeans head to beaches, parks and festival grounds to bask in the early days of summer, a small group of globally-ranked athletes are instead spending the week in the cool confines of the Pettit National Ice Center.
Six Days in the Dome is underway at the facility, 500 S. 84th St. The ultramarathon competition lasts nearly a full week, with many participants completing upwards of 400 miles during the race.
In addition to the six-day competition, the event offers 12, 24, 48 and 72-hour categories. Participants in the six-day event started on June 18 and, as of Wednesday afternoon, are about halfway through the race, which will continue through Saturday evening.
As the competition neared the end of its third day, athletes remained in good spirits, buoyed by the accomplishments of their fellow runners. Namely, Meenal Kotak of New Delhi, who stirred up a bout of cheers at noon when she finished her 72-hour attempt, recording just over 235 miles to set a women’s record for India.
A fresh batch of snacks toted in by race co-directors Mike Melton and Bill Schultz didn’t hurt, either.
“We just made a trip to Walmart,” said Shultz, indicating a stack of bagels, bananas, chocolate milk, Oreos, refried beans, Raisin Bran and other requests from participants.
Unlike shorter races, ultramarathons test every limit of the body — in addition to completing laps on the 443-meter track, runners have to schedule time to sleep, change, shower and eat, all while staying on top of small aches and pains, blisters and chafing, all of which can quickly turn into competition-ending concerns if left unchecked.
“The thing about ultra-running, the finish is not a guarantee,” Melton said. “That’s part of the challenge. How deep into yourself will you go? How deep into the pain cave can you handle? How can you manage the sleep deprivation, the miles you want to do? Everyone’s motivation is something different, something unique.”
As of Wednesday afternoon, Nicolae Buceanu of Romania and Sandra Villines-Burruss of Florida had a commanding lead of the six-day race, logging 268.268 and 243.243 miles, respectively.
Last year’s six-day champion, Viktoria Brown of Canada, ran a total of 457.4135 miles. The performance set two Canadian records and one world record. Brown did not return this year to defend her title.
Attempts at the 24-hour distance are dispersed throughout the week. An exciting competition is expected for Friday, June 23. It’s the final day to attempt, and several athletes are jostling for a position in the top six in order to secure their spot on the national team.
Six Days in the Dome got its start in 2014 at the Alaska Dome in Anchorage. Steve Durbin, the original race director, was intent on creating an ulta competition in a fully-controlled environment. Hence, the indoor setting.
The race returned in 2019. This time, in Milwaukee.
Spectating is free, but bring a jacket — the temperature at the facility remains a steady 55 F year-round, thanks to two full-sized hockey rinks and a speed-skating track located within the running track.
Photos
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