Name: Scott Demaree
Date of birth: 4/30/51
Place of birth: Arkansas City, KS
Current address: Houston, TX
Email address: srd77081@yahoo.com
Occupation: Graduate Research Assistant
Marital status: Married
Children: None
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 165
Personal
Best feature (physical): No comment
Worst feature: See Best Feature
Educational background: M.Ed. in Exercise Science from Wichita State University
Favorite author: Robert Heinlein
Favorite book: Stranger in a Strange Land
Favorite non-running magazine: Sky and Telescope
Favorite movie: Forrest Gump
Favorite television show: Anything science fiction
Favorite music: Moody Blues, Rush
Hobbies: Astronomy, golf, reading science fiction
Make of car you drive: Old
Make of car you would like to drive: Not so old
Favorite spectator sport: Golf
Favorite game: Too busy for games.
Favorite vacation destination: Anywhere there are mountains.
Favorite time of day: Sunset
Favorite item of clothing you own: T-shirts from my first ultras.
Most prized possession: Memories of the great deeds I've witnessed, and the people I've met along the way.
Personal philosophy: Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, ultimately, it's only with you.
Achievement of which you are most proud: Going back to school and completing my Master's degree with a 4.0 GPA.
Favorite subject in school: Math
Least-liked subject: Speech
Least-liked household chore: Dishes
Pets: None
Pet peeve: Elitism in our sport.
Favorite non-running leisure activity: Science fiction TV or movies.
Greatest fear: Loss of health (anyone close or myself)
Happiest memory: Too numerous to mention
Secret ambition/fantasy: To write a popular and thought-provoking book.
Personal strengths: Stubbornness, patience
Personal weaknesses: Introversion
Running
Years running: 21 years since my first road race
PRs: 4:58 mile; 34:00 10K; 1:11 20K; 2:35 Marathon; 5:49 50-mile; 7:56 100K; 14:57 100-mile; 143 mile 24-Hour; 39:19 200-mile; 230 mile 48-Hour
Years running ultras: 18 years, 15 seriously
Number of ultras finished: 81
Best ultra performance: My 48-Hour races, mainly the 230+ miles I reached in a losing effort to Brian Purcell in 1989.
Most memorable ultra performance: Positive: The first of two consecutive wins at Crosstimbers setting the course record at the time in 1986. Negative: The horrors of the Trans-Texas fiasco of that same year.
Typical training week: I've used every training technique in the book, but high mileage works the best. My current inadequate ultra preparation week - two 11-13 milers during the week plus a 20-30+ miler on weekends (when I can), with moderate length junk mile runs and walking on alternate days.
Injuries: Nothing long-lasting since I gave up marathon training 15 years ago. Tight hamstrings lead to occasional soreness; flat feet lead to occasional foot and knee pain.
Favorite ultra(s): Wasatch 100, Leadville 100, Crosstimbers, any 48-Hour
Favorite running shoes: Anything cheap
Favorite food/drinks during an ultra: Turkey cheesebuger, Conquest
Favorite handler: Raquel
Favorite place to run: Any place there is no traffic.
Favorite type of running surface: Whatever I'm running on.
Ultrarunning idol(s): Historically: Charles Rowell, Edward Westin, Arthur Newton. Contemporary: Bernd Heinrich, Yiannis Kouros, Ann Trason.
Why do you run ultras? I started to satisfy my competitive urges. I've kept at it because of the people in the sport and what it does for my psyche.
Short-term goal: Finish my Ph.D.
Long-term goal: 150 miles in 24-Hours; 250 miles in 48-Hours; research ways of improving ultra performances.
Favorite ultra quote(s): "This is getting out of hand!"
Comments: I was 30 years old when I ran my first 50 miler. There have been a lot of changes in our sport since then, mostly for the better. As a non-elitist, the current apparent drop-off in U.S. performance levels doesn't bother me. However, if more confirmed trail runners would test their mettle on the roads and track, the trend would probably reverse. In any case, ultrarunning's strongest attribute is the great variety of distances and venues it encompasses, and more of us should tackle new challenges in the sport.
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