The pleasure and the pain: 65-year-old ultrarunner Errol Jones
Errol Jones, "The Rocket," is a 65-year-old ultrarunner who does much of his trail running on the Bay Area Ridge Trail -- this is his story.
At 65 years of age, Errol Jones, nicknamed “The Rocket,” is a 30-year veteran of trail running with many of his miles done on the Bay Area Ridge Trail in northern California.
Recreational Equipment, Inc.‘s latest short film, titled The Pleasure and the Pain, tells the story of how Jones connected with the Bay Area Ridge Trail as REI pays tribute to the planned project.
Currently, the projected 550-mile trail is over halfway to completion with 365 miles of the trail in use.
Jones talks about what it takes to be an ultrarunner and the importance of embracing pain and persevering when racing long distances. The short film was released on Jan. 4 with more than 51,000 viewers having tuned in to see Jones’ story.
RELATED: Canadian Rob Krar featured in short film Chasing the Distance.
“First and foremost, you absolutely have to love running if you want to be an ultrarunner,” remarks Jones. “Second of all, you have to be able to embrace suffering.”
RELATED: Video: Running with 104-year-old Fauja Singh.
“There’s a saying about pleasure being the child of pain so that’s what you get when you come out here,” continues Jones.
Jones has dozens of ultra races over his career including Western States 100, Badwater, Skyline, Vermont 100, Wasatch Front, and Bear 100.
Jones is targeting a future 100-mile race, according to the video, a distance he’s been unable to complete over the previous three years of trail running and racing ultras.
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