How far do you think you can run? Five miles? Ten miles? Maybe even a marathon? Imagine running 100 miles straight. No sleeping. No music. That is an ultramarathon. Oak Ridge’s Susan Donnelly has run 26 of them. 
“It’s an incredible sense of affirmation,” Donnelly says. “You generally start early Saturday morning, you run all day Saturday. You run all night with a head lamp, and then you finish sometime early Sunday morning.”
Ultramarathons range rom 40 milers, 50 miles, and then the grueling all-day, all-night 100 milers.
“I read an ad about a 50 miler and I remembered that ad about the 100 miler and I thought- I want to try this.”
Her fastest time is around 25 hours. She does it all without music. She said she prefers to listen to the noises in nature. She does most of her marathons on trails. She says you can her the birds chirping and the wolves howling. The lack of music also helps her stay focused on the path ahead.
“I almost think that the conscious part of my brain is focused on the rocks and sticks. That frees up the unconscious to just relax and float out there. It’s almost like a meditation.”
Donnelly is also a motivational speaker. For more on her background, goals, and passion for motivational speaking read below:
Susan is an ultradistance runner who competes in endurance events that span 30, 50 and even 100 miles.
She has been a successful endurance sport athlete for 11 years:
- Completed 75 ultras, including 25 100-mile races
- Won trail races at the 50K, 50 mile, and 100 mile distances
- 3-time winner of the difficult Superior Sawtooth 100
- Completed both the Massanutten Mountain 100-mile race and the Superior Sawtooth 100-mile race more times any other woman
- Featured on the cover of Ultrarunning magazine and in TrailRunner magazine
- Article in Women’s Health and Fitness magazine
- Knoxville News Sentinel and Oak Ridger coverage
Along the way to her extraordinary achievements, she gathered lessons and reached profound truths that can help others:
- Move beyond limitations and reach your dreams
- Full experience in life
- Seek a full connection to the universe
Background
Susan first read about a 100-mile ultramarathon in 1981. Years later, she noticed a listing for a nearby 50-mile race and decided to pursue her dream. After months of training, a life-threatening appendix rupture requiring two surgeries mothballed the dream. Another year passed before a chance conversation with another ultrarunner reawakened the dream for good. She completed her first ultramarathon a few months later and never looked back.
When not racing, she is a full-time engineer who balances a passion for time outdoors with the demands of daily life.
For Susan, trail running also evolved into a path for spiritual growth. Inner strength forged from facing insurmountable challenges, and peace born from the renewing power of nature, have shaped her perspective. She has gained a certainty in our connection to each other and all life, and an unshakeable faith that our lives have purpose beyond everyday existence. One of her primary goals is to motivate others to find this affirming connection.
As A Speaker
Susan draws unique analogies between her ultrarunning experiences and the challenges we face both personally and professionally. She has combined her adventures and photographs into one-of-a-kind presentations that educate, inspire, and motivate. Her real-life insight comes from both failures and successes. Susan is a warm and engaging speaker with a talent for connecting to the audience. Her enthusiastic presentations have a wide appeal to audiences of all sizes and variety of needs including club, sports, youth, business, and community groups.
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