This week I talk to Mike Ekbundit. I got to meet Mike after the talk that Mark Cucuzzella gave in Elizabethtown a little over a month ago but learned even more through this interview. Enjoy getting to know another local runner and if you are not from the area getting to know a fellow runner, and learn about his journey.Do you like to go by Michael or Mike
I use both equally. Most close to me call me Mike.
Tell us a little about yourself not necessarily related to running: age, where born, education, area you live in, etc…..
I’m 46, born in Bangkok, Thailand, and have a Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Louisville, where I was a cheerleader for several years. I’m married to my wife of 22 years and have three wonderful children. I grew up poor and was blessed with opportunities that now allow me to provide for my family and give back to the community. I have lived in Mt. Washington, KY for 10 years. I’ve lived in Kentucky for most of my life but have moved around a fair bit in between.
What is your profession?
I’m an engineer. My first job was as a NASA contractor working on the International Space Station project. Then I spent a few years in the optical industry, followed by a few years self-employed doing engineering, graphic design, web design, and photography. Then I spent a few years as an R&D engineer in the heavy truck industry. I’m now an Engineering Director at GE Appliances, A Haier Company and have been with them for 9 years.
How did you start running and what prompted you to do so?
When we moved to Lawrenceburg, where my mother lives, the middle school cross country coach, who lived around the corner, recruited me to run. I ran and played baseball. Back then we were really poor so there was nothing to do except run and ride your bike to the park...so you could run and ride some more...and play basketball (we are in KY after all!) I gave up formal running early in high school, focused on grades, got a free ride to UofL, and started running again my sophomore year in college after signing up for a class called “miniMarathon Training”. I stuck with it and ran up to half marathons until I got married in 1997. That’s when I made a new “bucket list” that included a lot more stuff.
How long have you been running?
I’ve been running for 33 years now, depending on when you start counting. I ran my first marathon in 1997, my first ultra (Mountain Mist 50k) in 1998, my first Ironman (Great Floridian) in 1999. After 13 years of 50k’s and triathlons, I converted to mostly trails then but didn’t try my first 50-miler until maybe 2013 and my first 100 until 2015. In the meantime, I finally ran my first Boston Marathon in 2018. Late 2017, I started obstacle course racing and made my first attempt at World’s Toughest Mudder (WTM) in 2018. WTM is my “A” race for 2019 but I’m training like I’m going to run a hilly hundo (plus obstacle related training).
My wife and kids are all runners in a way. My wife has 5 marathons under her belt. My two oldest kids ran the Triple Crown this year and did their first obstacle course race. My youngest, who is now 11, has several 5k races under his belt too.
Did you participate in any other sports over the years?
As a kid, my main sport was baseball, which I played into high school. I started gymnastics and started playing golf my senior year in high school. Afterwards, I tried out for but didn’t make the UofL baseball team. I became a cheerleader at UofL for 7 years, where I collected a National Championship ring. While at UofL, I also picked up weightlifting, restarted running, and started rock climbing, whitewater rafting, and sand volleyball. I played on the UofL volleyball club team (indoor men’s sixes) for a year. After college, I started marathoning and triathlon seriously.
I like trying new things. I think it’s important to regularly face new challenges and apply the lessons from each sport to the next one...and to life. For example, in golf you fix the divot you leave on the green plus one extra - I’ve taken that to heart and try to leave everything better than I found it.
Did you run in grade school, High School or College?
I ran cross country in early high school as a mid-packer, then stopped my Junior and Senior years to focus on school. I restarted running for a Phys Ed class in college. I don’t have the talent to be a competitive runner but enjoy doing it and being on a team. My gift isn’t running...it’s pain tolerance and a willingness to suffer. Ha.
So we get an idea of where you have been with running can you share your PR’s for: 5K, 10K marathon and any other distance you may have run in the past.
Oh boy. I think my 5k PR is 19:46, 10k is 40:48, half marathon is 1:28, marathon is 3:17, and 100 is 21:48. Ironman is 11:58. All of those were fairly flat courses. My mile times are still around 5:30, which hasn’t changed since the early 90’s. I’m not particularly fast and have struggled to ever hit the peak on marathon race day, but did enjoy Boston 2018. I won’t tell any fish stories about racing unless someone asks over a beverage! I should probably race more often and focus on speed if I want to go faster. I rarely do more than 3 or 4 races per year and those are all built into my long term training plan for that year. I can do most regular Tough Mudders comfortably well under 2 hours. I’m 46 years old, 6ft and 200lb so I don’t expect to compete for trophies. I do find it interesting that my PR’s are all within the last few years and have no explanation for that. In talking to you it looks like you enjoy doing OCR’s – what got you started in this sport?
I love trail running. After a few 100-milers, I wondered if there was a sport that would penalize me less for being bigger. I like multi-sport events but after several Ironmans I wanted something besides triathlons. I like the lifestyle required for multi-sport and don’t really care which sports are on the list. A friend asked me to join him at Tough Mudder (full) in Sparta, KY in 2017. It sounded like fun and was. I liked the variety and camaraderie very much. After the finish line at that race, I saw a big sign with national standings from World’s Toughest Mudder 2016 which showed that the winner covered 100 miles. I thought to myself, “I can run 100 miles. Why not try that next?” My wife took a bit more convincing but eventually came around. She understands me.
How long are the OCRs you have done?
I’ve tried most of the Tough Mudder branded events except the 5k. I’ve done all of the competitive distances: 10ish miles, 8 hours, and 24 hours. The 24 hour is World’s Toughest Mudder and that’s something else altogether if you are planning to go long. The physical stress of a 24hr race of any kind is high and takes significant planning. This year, Tough Mudder is changing the 8hr races to 12hr. My next race is a 12hr (8pm to 8am) Toughest Mudder in England in May.
What is the biggest race you have done and share some about it?
I’ll translate “biggest” as most impactful to me. Your first anything is usually remarkable in some way.
My first Iron-distance race was my first real physical and mental stretch that almost broke me mentally on race day. I was young, freshly married, and had the world on a string. I remember cruising the swim and bike, then withering in the heat on the run. I suck at running in the heat. At mile 19 of the marathon I was considering withdrawing and my wife got in my face and convinced me to finish. She got on the course in non-running shoes and paced me the rest of the way in. In retrospect, I can’t believe I made it given my level of ignorance at the time but am thankful for a wife who believes in me.
I started racing to raise money for charity in 2013. In 2015, my oldest son, Evan, was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes so Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) became my charity of choice. In 2017, Evan was part of my crew and my part-time pacer at Indiana Trail 100. That was pretty special. He watched his dad face and overcome challenges through some tough weather and course conditions.
In 2018, I raced World’s Toughest Mudder, a 24-hour obstacle course race, for the first time - also for JDRF. That is run on a 5 mile loop with ~17 obstacles per loop. It was very difficult and my ignorance cost me. On the other hand, it was another epic adventure with my son and a close friend helping as crew member. I’ve never been tested that much physically, albeit because of my ignorance about OCR and my desire to achieve big mileage my first time out. Greed kills. Ignorance is not bliss. Greed + ignorance = epic fail + epic stories.
What advice would you give to others that want to try an OCR?
Realize that it’s literally paying to play outside on a giant playground - go play! Pick a first race that suits your current condition and provides what you care about. If you want to be part of a team, do that. If you want to fly solo, do that. Big medal? Special shirt? Big obstacles? Whatever it is, set yourself up for enjoyable success and don’t worry about anything else. It’s only your first time once. People tend to get so focused on metrics that they forget what it’s really all about.
What is your most memorable running race, or races, you have done and share a little about at least one of them?
I have a special place in my heart for the Mountain Mist 50k in Huntsville, AL. It was my first trail ultra. Every year in January, a bunch of crazy people show up for whatever crazy weather happens that year to run on rocky, technical trail and toe the line with some really great runners. The swag is always tip top too. I’ve made 14 starts and 11 finishes on this course. One year it was flood conditions with deep mud and thigh high stream crossings. One year the ice rain closed the main access road so only the people who made it to the start line early raced through the entire day of sleet and thick ice. Maybe two of those years were dry and 40’s. The back half of the course is much harder than the front and the worst is miles 23-29. I love it so much! Back in the day, the race was much lower key. They’ve maintained the local, homey feel over the years while upping everything else.
Have you run Ultra’s as well?
If “ultra” means any run over a marathon, then yes. I’ve run maybe three dozen over the years. All of the official races were trail runs. I put together a few unofficial events for charity that were also ultras. One year I ran a 7hr relay race as a solo runner. The following year I ran the Derby Festival Marathon twice back to back, starting at 3:30 a.m. for the first one, then joining the actual event for the second one. If we include every run over 26.2 miles, including training days, then I’ve done hundreds over the years. If you extend to multisport events, the number goes up some more. I find great joy in testing myself and figuring out how to overcome.
How do you train for OCRs and also be ready for running races?
I’m new to the sport so I don’t know if my method is correct yet. My next test is this November. For now, I train my running like I’m going to do a hilly 100 mile trail run. I also try to focus on adequate sleep while driving proper nutrition. Run training is 6 days/wk and I do other conditioning 5-6 days/wk. Cross training includes a mix of strength, core, agility, and yoga. All in all, the running is the foundation of everything. The other training makes me stronger overall while also preventing running injuries.
I noticed you son and daughter ran their first OCR recently with you, how did that go?
The kids were awesome! They’ve been watching me try and fail and try again for almost two years now. Last fall, we dedicated a month to training to do the Crossfit challenge known as “Murph”. That’s a 1mi run+100 pullups+200pushups+300 squats+1mi run...and your composite time is recorded. At the end of the training cycle, we did “Murph” (without the 20lb weighted vest) as a family. That was the beginning. Now, after hearing my stories, they got interested. Terrain Race seemed like a good entry point so we signed up. They loved it. After completing the Derby Festival Triple Crown races last weekend, they told me that road running was far too boring. Haha. They’ve all asked to do a Tough Mudder 5k first before considering a full Tough Mudder. We will look for races with age limits that fit.
What does a regular week of training look like?
A good week of running normally includes one hill day, one track day, one long day, and three easy days each week - averaging around 50mi/wk for the year. On top of that, I try to do 6 full body strength and agility workouts each week. These are all Beachbody programs that I do at home. So, 12 workouts a week. As with any training regimen, discipline is king. Making it all fit around a career and three kids in sports while maintaining a healthy marriage is a challenge. When there is a conflict, family always wins. Sometimes, that means running at 4:00 a.m., agility at 9:00 p.m., packing multiple outfits to work to run during lunch and again during kids’ practices. Sometimes, it means you just sit at home and smile at your wife over a cup of coffee or do homework with your kids. It’s all a hobby anyway. Besides, if you’re consistent long term, a variance day here and there makes no difference.
What is your favorite distance to run and race?
My favorite distance right now is 50k on trails, half marathon on road, and 8-12hr on obstacle courses. All for different reasons. 50k seems like enough time to enjoy a trail and still run at a comfortably quick speed. Half marathon is a good distance to really suffer while running hard but not the acute pain associated with running full out at a 5k, which ends too soon for me. OCR is just a different animal. At this point, I’m enjoying the chance to learn, observe others, appreciate the sport, and still push myself. Injury is the enemy so I’d rather take longer to learn the sport than get hurt.
What shoes do you run in and what do you like about them?
Will Rivera, owner of Running Soles in E'town KY, recently turned me on to Altra shoes. The jury is still out as they have wide toe boxes but aren’t made in widths. I wear a 13 4E. I have several hundred miles in my Torin’s and am enjoying them. Maybe 100 miles on my Lone Peak 4’s and they’re doing well too. The Torin’s seem to be good cruisers. The Lone Peaks seem to handle mud well, which is why I bought them. I haven’t really put the Lone Peak’s to a grueling test yet but that’s coming soon!
How about diet, do you eat any certain way and do things change on race week and race day?
I eat well the vast majority of the time and make no changes on race week. I follow the guideline of eating things you buy around the outside of the grocery and as little as possible from a package. I have gluten sensitivity so I try to avoid that. Since we have a Type 1 Diabetic in the family, we limit the sugar in the house overall. Lots of veggies. We don’t avoid meat or fat.
On race day, I will adapt depending on distance and effort level. If I’m racing road marathon or less, I’ll do powder (UCAN is currently my favorite) and/or gel (I like Honey Stingers). I add real food for an ultra and listen to my body’s cravings. My food of choice at an ultra is a rice ball with egg, avocado, and soy sauce (~200cal each). I pack a wide variety of things for long races just in case. If you’re hungry at an ultra where I’m racing, I probably have enough to cover us both! I typically have some PBJ halves, ramen, Red Bull, Kettle chips, Mountain Dew Code Red, and Beachbody shakes. Just depends on what I’m feeling for that race. Then back to a more controlled diet when I’m not racing.
Do you have any long-range plans?
I’d like to see where this OCR thing goes. I’ll give it another year or two to develop myself into the sport. I’m chasing experiences, not distances, but especially experiences I can share with the family in some way. When it’s all said and done, all we have are our stories and memories. And whether or not we have regrets.
I’m considering whether to attempt one of the Barkley events at some point but I’m not ready yet. I’m also considering multi-sport events like adventure racing, where you do a lot of things...climb, kayak, run, bike, navigate, sail, whatever.
The big thing for me is to stay as healthy and fit for as long as I can. I want to be able to enjoy retirement with my wife. I want to be able to have adventures with my grandchildren one day.
What do you like best about living and running in KY?
I like the ease. I like the accessibility to so much wilderness. I like the community that comes with living small. I love that I’ll never be able to see everything that’s within a few hours drive of my house. I love the great people I meet along the way.
Anywhere else you would like to visit to run?
New Zealand has a multisport race called Coast To Coast that I’ve been considering for a few years. There’s an epic race in Iceland that I’ve bookmarked. I bet if I look around hard enough, I’ll find more. Whatever it is needs to push me to my absolute limit if I’m going to travel that far.
Inside the US, there are so many places I want to go run that I can’t name them all. I just pick them off one at a time. Along the way, I find a bunch of other places that I never would have considered. Each place has its own story and energy. I’m fascinated by it all.
Do you have any bucket list races?
Not really. I haven’t seen an event that I couldn’t live without. I did the Boston Marathon last year and that was pretty epic. Ironman was on the list, but after several, it didn’t seem as big of a deal. I suspect everything is like that eventually. At this stage in my life, I don’t believe there’s much I can’t do if I train for it. I hope I have another 10 years of this before I have to choose to scale down.What do you struggle with most with regards to running?
I struggle to control my mind. It takes constant effort. Some days are easier than others. I use one basic strategy and then take action depending on what I want. Simply put, I draw mental energy three ways: distraction, anger, and love. Distraction is what you would think - I occupy my mind solving a problem or just wondering. My favorites are to plan things and then dissect the plans or do math problems. Distraction keeps me even-keeled. Anger is a special tool that acts like Nitrous on a hot rod, good for a short and hard burn but destructive to the engine if you stay there. I’ll allow myself to ponder an injustice or something that fires me up and then ride the wave, staying conscious not to let it go very long. The negative side effects are too steep for me to stay there. Then I have love. This is the long, steady burn with all upside and no side effects. The trick on this one for me is to reach the point where I can access it. Sometimes it takes me hours to free my mind from worry and stress, but when I get there, it’s like I feel clean, happy, and free. Sometimes I am overwhelmed and just let it go. It’s a spiritual experience. It’s hard to explain but I really like getting there. The trick is to control the variables I can so that I can stay in a good head space. I made a very long spreadsheet with scenarios and countermeasures that I memorize to help me avoid traps - everything from dead batteries to what it might mean to pee too often.
What do you see as a trend in running?
People seem to find some value in running farther and farther. Who cares how far you go? Be healthy. Be happy. Enjoy yourself, others, and the world around you.
Gadgets have overtaken common sense and logic. Many choose to pass the responsibility of progress to others or to technology. There are great tools out there that will absolutely help you. Blindly accepting anything without considering real data or proving things out is dangerous and can lead to trouble.
People are in too much of a hurry. Too much of a hurry to see their bodies change. Too much of a hurry to run “fast”, whatever that means. Too much of a hurry to cram things into a schedule. It can ruin the experience and make you bitter. Better to set reasonable goals and enjoy the journey.
If you had one, well maybe two or three, things to say those that are running to encourage them what would it be?
Don’t get hung up on “progress”. If you stay steady and show up consistently for a long time, good things happen. Have a reasonable plan. Set goals. Reevaluate. And remember that life happens anyway.
Remember to enjoy each moment. If you’re running and see something beautiful, stop and look at it! Have a thought you want to ponder later? Stop, write it down or send yourself a message. Try not to be in such a hurry that you miss the beauty of life as it happens.
Share the love. Take the positive things that come from running, the energy, the state of mind, the resiliency, and pay them forward in whatever ways you can. Help someone. Do some good. Keep the positive cycle going by sharing with others. Sometimes, that just means smiling and bringing happiness to someone else who needs it. Remember that one day it could be you or someone you love.
And don’t skimp on gear if you can afford it. Build relationships with knowledgeable people who care about you and listen to them. It may take some trial and error to figure out what works for you but it’s worth it. When your body and needs change, so will your gear.
Do you have a website or other social media site you would like to share?
Nope. People can find me on FB and IG though.
Any closing comments?
Nah. I’ve said a lot already. Haha.
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