Most runners thrive to complete the coveted marathon race — the infamous 26.2 miles of punishment on the body. Natalee Thompson, the most recent addition to City’s administrative team, not only helps run the school, but also 100 mile races.

Thompson is an ultra marathoner, or a runner who competes in races longer than 26.2 miles. Her love for running started at a young age during high school, and has kept going without a stop.

Thompson ran her first 50 kilometer race in April of 2012 and never looked back. Since then, she has competed in multiple marathons, some 50 milers, and a 100 mile race.

These distances call for a rigorous running schedule, especially in comparison to the average marathoner.

“Typical marathon runners on the weekend will run anywhere between 12 and 20 miles on Saturday, then not run on Sunday.” Thompson said. “For me, I generally run anywhere from 15 to 30 miles on Saturday and follow that on Saturday with another 15 to 20. During the week it just depends. [I run] anywhere from four or five miles to twelve miles a day. “

Thompson meets with a group of local runners every Thursday morning and runs the Lake Macbride nature trails throughout the year. She also makes sure to eat healthy. “I eat a lot of whole foods, not a lot of junk foods. I don’t drink pop or anything like that. [I eat] a lot of protein.”

Thompson finds additional support through her family.

“My son is a 6th grader and my daughter is a 5th grader at Hoover and they both enjoy running.” Thompson said. “My husband is a runner too so it’s something we all do together.”

All of this running has amounted to her biggest feat yet: The 100 mile race. This distance is every ultra marathoner’s goal. Most runners work from a marathon to a 50k, to a 50 mile race, and then peak at the goliath 100 mile race. Thompson completed the race in August of this year with a time of 19:52:42. Yes. That is nearly 20 hours of straight running.

Even though she completed the 100 mile run, she still has challenges ahead of her.

“There are a couple of specific races I want to run. Given just the challenge of them,” Thompson explained. “Anything that is out of the Midwest is a challenge for us flatlanders. We don’t have to ability to train on those mountains like when you get into Colorado, Oregon, or Washington.”

Thompson believes running is crucial to her daily life.

“I find peace and solitude when I run,” she said. “I can do a lot of problem solving. I just really enjoy it.”