Runner pounds path past 200th ultra-marathon

Jane Emerick
Geelong endurance athlete Peter Gray has become the first Australian to complete 200 ultra–marathons.
Gray finished his 200th race last weekend when he completed a Coburg 24hour ultramarathon, an event he has entered for 20 years.
Gray said achieving the 200 milestone at Coburg was particularly significant to him because it was where he began running ultramarathons.
“When I first ran it in 1988 I decided I would keep backing it up every year,” he said.
“Now I’m the first person to do the race 20 years in a row.”
The 42yearold reached the 100 mark just over a decade ago.
At 31 he became the youngest person in the world to reach a century of ultramarathons.
Gray was also the youngest runner to complete the Westfield Sydney to Melbourne Ultra Marathon in 1990 at the age of 25.
He aimed to reach the 300 mark in the next decade.
“I’m hoping to do 10 a year,” Gray said.
“I like the challenge but I don’t push it too hard now.”
Gray said training comprised “keeping on the move” and “walking and running around”.
However, the social aspect of ultramarathons was one of his main motivations.
“I get to meet up with a lot of people and make new friends,” he said.