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Gullett uses ‘little things,’ inspiration to run 50-mile race

Ryan Gullett had to push himself, and make life changes, to get to the point where he was able to run a 50-mile race in under the 12-hour time limit. Gullett achieved those goals, finishing the Frisco Railroad in Willard, Mo. in 9:20:54.

“Meaningful changes are rarely achieved by being uncomfortable for 30 days, and it’s not a matter of going outside your comfort zone,” Gullett said. “Thinking that you’re going outside is fleeting thinking. It implies that you’re going to come back inside eventually.”

The race was run on April 30. The training for Gullett had started in March 2021 after his brother, Cody, had completed a 50-mile race of his own. Gullett credits Cody’s influence on him as a driving motivator to train and complete the race.

Gullett, 33, gave credit to his crew, which included Cody and their mother Connie, for helping him finish. “They made some deft moves with sunglasses at 25 miles and a hydration change at 34,” Ryan said. “That made all the difference.”

Cody also helped with tips for learning how to pace for a long run, which included working off heart rate and exhaustion level instead of the traditional time pace, Ryan said.

Ryan, a 2007 graduate of Monticello High School, currently lives in Cedar Rapids. He talked about how after races is the optimal time to look back at training and adjust for the next training session. Even when looking back, he said he does not think of things he should have done differently but what he will change going forward.

“I don’t normally frame the thinking in terms of what I would do differently in the past; both because that’s not possible and also because I don’t want to set the same goals tomorrow that I was tackling yesterday,” Gullett said.

“Instead, I try to make a conscious effort to think about what I am actually going to do different now with the future as the focal point.”

Looking back at his training, Gullett recalled all the days of sore legs and having to still get up and run. Gullett trained for 22 weeks to run 50 miles on one day. While he knows the 50 mile run catches attention, he said the days leading up to the run are the most impactful.

“It’s the 154 straight days of ‘little’ things that provides a lasting sense of satisfaction,” Gullett said.

On the day of the race, things did not go perfectly. Gullett and his crew had to adjust because the day ended up being warmer than they had originally planned for. Some adjustments included not putting electrolytes in his water bottles during the last 15 miles and changing how his food was stored by the crew in the last 10 miles.

Gullett is currently training for a 100K race in Duluth, Minn. in October of this year. If the Duluth race goes according to plan, he hopes to run a 100-mile race in the first half of 2023 with his brother Cody, who inspired the 50-mile race back in 2021.

Eagles split home doubleheaders

Softball

The Midland softball team played a pair of home doubleheaders to end its regular season.

On June 27, the Eagles played host to East Buchanan for a doubleheader where the Eagles lost both games, by scores of 9-1 and 5-4. In game one, Sophia Raubs pitched the full game for the Eagles. At the plate Gracie Harrington, Allison Paulsen and Anna Bartels had one hit each. Paulsen also scored the lone Eagle run.

In game two, Bartels pitched the full seveninning game and struck out four batters. Gracie Franzen had one of the five Eagle hits and the only extra-base hit, a double. Also getting hits for the Eagles were Harrington, Paulsen, Bartels and Mariah Hacke.

On June 28, the Eagles won both games of a home doubleheader against Clayton Ridge by scores of 13-7 and 12-7. In game one the Eagles scored all 13 of their runs in the fifth inning. Raubs pitched the full game for the Eagles and struck out four batters. The Eagles stole 10 bases on 10 attempts; Franzen, Raubs, Bartels and Taelynn Gravel had two steals each. Alivia Smith and Emerson Huston stole one base apiece. Paulsen had two hits, a double, three RBIs and scored two runs. Elizabeth Soper and Huston had a double each. Other players with multiple hits were Harrington, Soper and Alivia Streets. Other players with multiple RBIs were Franzen and Raubs.

In game two, the Eagles scored six runs in the first inning. Bartels pitched the full seven innings for the Eagles and struck out five batters. Paulsen had four hits, two doubles, two RBIs and scored three times. The Eagles had seven doubles; Soper had two and Harrington, Streets and Huston had one each. Other players with multiple hits were Harrington, Raubs and Bartels. Soper had three RBIs and Isabelle Rickets and Streets had two each. Gravel stole two bases this game.

The Eagles finished the regular season 9-26 overall and 3-19 in Tri-Rivers Conference play. The Eagles were scheduled to play at Edgewood-Colesburg on July 1 in the first round of the Class 1A regional tournament.

Baseball

Midland played three games to close out its regular season last week, winning two of them, both by one-run margins.

Midland played host to East Buchanan June 27, winning 6-5. In the first game, the Eagles erased a 4-1 deficit with five unanswered runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. Midland had six hits, led by Zain Sauer, who was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs batted in. Anthony Harrington also doubled. Jamisen Dodge, pitching in relief of Warren Etten, picked up the win.

Against Tipton, June 29, Midland scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to win 4-3. Midland had 10 hits. Zain Sauer batted 3-for-3 with a triple and a double. Seth Bixler was 3-for-4 with two runs batted in. Matt Sauer went 2-for-4. Zain Sauer, pitching in relief of Harrington, threw one scoreless inning and got the win.

At Lisbon, June 30, Midland (3-7, 8-16) lost 11-1 in six innings. The Lions scored eight runs in the first inning to take early control. Harrington had a double among the Eagles’ five hits.

The Eagles were scheduled to open district play July 2 at Easton Valley, in a first round game against Maquoketa Valley.