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MCAS Yuma

Photo by Lance Cpl. Ubon Mendie

Marine trains for 135-mile ultra marathon

22 Aug 2007 | Lance Cpl. Ubon Mendie Marine Corps Training and Education Command

Sgt. Benjamin Blessing is a glutton for punishment.

He will run anywhere from five to 50 miles in a day. He'll sweat gallons of water and wear the soles right off his shoes.

Blessing, a euphonium player in the Parris Island Marine Band, has his eye on running a 135-mile ultra marathon. With a regimen that pushes his body to the max, he is turning his goal into reality.

Blessing was born Feb. 6, 1984, in the small town of Meridian, Idaho, where he was raised and attended high school.

Blessing was into the outdoors as a child. He played with bugs, but never participated in sports.

He said he and a friend decided to audition for the Marine Corps band after graduating high school and one of the qualifications was being able to run.

"I started running a mile-and-a-half, two to three times a week,"Blessing explained. "I saw it as great competition when doing it with others, and I wanted to get faster."

Since enlisting, Blessing has made physical training an integral part of his life.

Blessing ran as exercise as time went on, but he did not realize to what lengths he would take his new found strength.

"One day I picked up a book named'Confessions of an All-Night Runner,'" Blessing explained. "It was about a man who ran ultra marathons. After reading it, I was inspired, and thought to myself, 'I can do it, too.'"

Blessing set out new goals since he finished reading the book. Now, he wants to compete in the Badwater Ultra Marathon. The Marathon is held in the Death Valley and is famed for it extreme conditions.

There are about 90 race participants and it's held in temperatures reaching 130 degrees.

Contestants are tasked to complete 135 miles of roads that run through the highs and lows of the California's valleys. Wanting to compete and being able to, though, are two separate ideas. Racers must qualify, Blessing included.

"Contestants must maintain qualifying times in a number of 50 and 100-mile runs,"Blessing explained. "Not only do you have to complete that requirement, but you have to also be medically cleared."

Blessing is currently training for the"Triple Lakes Race," which takes place in Greensboro, N.C. He faces a 40-mile run.

After the completion of the race, Blessing will continue to train.

"Land is my only limit,"Blessing said. "As long as there's something for me to run on, I'm going to keep going."


Marine Corps Training and Education Command