Trail Mix | Nine Dragons Ultra: how John Ellis runs through mountains of pain to podium and maintains incredible finishing record
- John Ellis has never failed to finish a race, but the 50/50 event was a close call as he ran on his heel for over 100km to finish in third
Running 143 kilometres with 8,620 metres of elevation over two days along Hong Kong’s rugged trails in the Nine Dragons Ultra last weekend was not a feat for the faint of heart.
But when you’re hobbled by a small calf tear and in a lot of pain, as local runner John Ellis was, it takes a whole new level of grit and determination – and, some would say, foolhardiness.
Incredibly, Ellis also managed to come third, despite essentially racing on one leg, nearly repeating his first place from last year.
It took a lot of digging deep and pushing through stinging, persistent discomfort. Photos from the race show Ellis battling hard, wearing a mixture of a grimace and a smile, propelling himself up steep stairs and through serious pain, then being swept by a wave of emotions as he crossed the finish line.
Incredibly, despite running ultramarathons and trail races week in and week out for years, Ellis has never had a “Did Not Finish” (DNF). Even the best runners in the world have a DNF, but not Ellis.