The Mt. Pocono Ultra Marathon
Paul Boger and Mike Burke

It all started with a desire to run 20 miles. From there it morphed into a rigorous 5 month training program leading to a 50 mile journey through the Pocono mountains. The run would cover 50 miles, 15 cities, and 2 mountains all in 1 day. But who would be crazy enough to do such a run? Apparently two high school seniors from Doylestown Pa. Paul Boger, 17, and Mike Burke, 18, met in January to map out the run. The route would begin in Alpha, NJ (below Phillipsburg) and snake up through Easton into the mountains. From there, they would run through Stroudsburg and up Mt. Pocono. The route ended just past the summit. The training for this kind of run, referred to as an ultra-marathon, would take 5 months. With some help from the local specialty running store, Training Zone Sports, Paul and Mike were able to create a twenty week training program that would prepare them for the event.  The next few months would be character building to say the least. When most kids their age were sleeping in on Saturday mornings, Mike and Paul would be meeting as early as 2:00 am for their weekly back-to-back long runs. With over 580 miles behind them, a few visits to the chiropractor, and a lot of nutrition and hydration advice from local runners, by May 31, 2008 the pair was ready for their event.

The event was near but there was still a lot to do. The entire day before was filled with last minute preparations and packing. This included a very interesting visit to the grocery store. The cashier that night must have had a lot of stories to tell after two high school boys came to the counter with gatorade, M&M’s, peanuts, lifesavers, ham & cheese, multi grain bread, water, coke, and more. A strange mix to say the least. Needless to say, the explanation didn’t help.

So after months of preparation and hard training, the day had arrived. At 4:40 am Paul and Mike, donned the “Alpha Males” by their supporters, set off on their long journey. Within a half mile of beginning the run, they were already lost. Apparently when they printed the instructions, something got cut-off. Luckily, the glow in the sky over Phillipsburg led them back on course. As the “Alpha Males” entered Phillipsburg, they got a taste of the big city from a friendly singing bicyclist passing in their direction. By listening to the PA-NJ train, they made their way to a small bridge that took them into Easton, Pa. At this point, they were running low on supplies so at mile 10 they made their first pit stop at the support car, manned by Paul’s mom and grandmother (Thanks!). Paul and Mike picked up water, gels, and granola bars to get them through the next ten miles until they could meet up with the van again.  

From Easton, the pair ran to Stockertown, and into Bangor. From Bangor, they began to ascend their first mountain of the day, Kittatinny mountain, an 1100 foot ascent. “Climbing a mountain is an experience everyone should have. You really discover who you are and what you’re made of up there. It’s a real test.” Paul said as he thought back to the run. As they neared the summit, it began to rain. At halfway (25 miles) the pair reached the summit where they refueled and were weighed in. So far they had each lost approximately 6 pounds, putting them in the danger zone for dehydration. They grabbed extra supplies and headed down the steep descent to the bottom of the mountain. At this point the Alpha Males had reached the Marathon point (26.2 miles). This was their first marathon, and was a great accomplishment in itself. They stopped for a moment to take in the experience. Then they set off to run the next 23.8 miles.  

After a few more miles, the Alpha Males found themselves in Stroudsburg. Stroudsburg held many unexpected surprises including an emergency sock purchase in a skate shop. Luckily, they had synthetic socks. Many thanks. The main drag of Stroudsburg was less pleasant. The traffic on 611 whizzed by with a few strange looks and some rude comments. A personal favorite was the impatient woman who yelled “C’mon, why can’t you run?” How terribly ironic. At mile 30 the runners hit the dreaded wall. The next five miles made them question their abilities and the possibility of finishing the event. Paul remembered “It was easily the hardest five miles of my life.” Mike had similar thoughts, “Those five miles seemed to take longer than any of our long training runs.” Despite how they felt, the pair carried on, putting one foot in front of the other. “When they came up to the car, I thought they were finished. They looked absolutely awful” remembered Dawn Boger, part of the support crew. At the 35 mile rest stop, the Alpha Males cooled off and took a minute to regroup. Then, they set off to hammer in the last brutal 15 miles. The runners remembered the next five miles as the best they felt all day. “When they came in they looked strong, I didn’t know what happened.” Said Dawn Boger on seeing the Alpha Males at mile 40. They had recovered from the wall and were moving forward with their goal in sight. “There is no stopping us now. I’ll run these last ten miles on one leg if I have to.” Paul recalled saying. After refueling once again, they took off towards Mt. Pocono, which was now in sight. “Do you see that? Is that what we’re running up?” exclaimed Mike upon seeing the mighty mountain in the distance. As they ran they began to deteriorate once again. Luckily, Dave and Susan of Training Zone Sports drove by shouting support for the Alpha Males. That gave them the adrenaline boost they needed as they began their ascent of 1800 ft Mt. Pocono. “Each climb took a little bit out of us.” Paul remembered. The final climb maxed out at over 20% grade. “We were overjoyed to see the Welcome To Mt. Pocono sign, right until we saw the next hill around the bend” recalled Mike. At the top of the last climb the whole caravan was waiting. “Only 4 miles to go!” yelled Dave Pajer. The Alpha Males dropped their fuel belts and supplies so they could comfortably finish the run. Upon reaching mile 49, the pair found themselves at the end of rt. 611 facing an army depot. Obviously, they decided to turn onto a back road. Behind them they could see the black storm clouds closing in. “We decided to pick it up and just get out of there” Paul remembered. As they neared the “finish line” The nearby church let out and began to ring its bells. Susan also chimed in by honking the car horn. As they approached the finish line the rains whipped across the road and the lightening crashed down. The Alpha Males finished their 50 mile trek at 6:00 p.m. with an 8 minute mile pace. A climatic end to say the least.

Final Thoughts:

“It was quite a day. The mountains really tested us. I would do it again but not for awhile. I can still remember that cheeseburger from after the run. That was so good.” -Paul

“I wouldn’t do it again for awhile. But it was fun training with a partner. I wouldn’t have been able to do it alone.” -Mike
Training Stats:
580+ miles run
60,000+ Calories Burned
over 70 gels/GU's each
over 200 oz of liquid
1 can of Power-Bar endurance drink
24 granola bars
1 bag of M&M's
4 liters of Coca-cola
1 case of Snapple peach iced tea
35 bottles of Ensure
8 visits to Hall Family Chiropractic
A lot of visits to Training Zone Sports

Race Stats:
50 Miles
12 Hours
2 Mountains
15+ Cities/Towns
12 Gel Packets
80 oz. of Liquids
1 stop to buy new socks
1 great meal after the race

For info on the route, supplies, advice and how to complete a 50 miler yourself,
see the web site: www.mtpocono50.com


Thank you to all our supporters!!