IT'S a classic case of the hare-and-tortoise approach but it pays to chuck in a sense of humour in the backpack, if you ask Stuart MacLean.
"If you're slow enough and steady enough then you'll get there with time to spare," says MacLean after returning from the gobsmacking Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run, touted to be the world's oldest over that distance.
To be precise, the Enza Foods technologist from Hastings, who turns 42 on Wednesday, ran and walked 100.2 miles (161.2km) from midnight to 4.12am (NZ time) on June 26-27 (from 5am US time on June 25 to 4.12am next day) in California.
MacLean started at the Squaw Valley ski resort, near the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics, in 10C but crossed the finish line in Auburn, after about an 850m climb which warmed up to 38C, although the humidity dropped from 40 per cent to 20.
It was his first time over that distance as well as the event, where he clocked 28h 12m.
"The sane of mind is definitely the most important thing, actually," he says after returning home late last Friday amid cancellations and fog-delayed flights shortly after the race.
But his journey on foot was equally testing although his cargo constituted a Camelbak hydration pack with water and ice, weighing no more than 2kg because 25 aid stations offered food and drinks along the route.
During a climb of Devil's Thumb, about the halfway point of the race, he battled cramps and nausea so he took two minutes to plant himself down but he made sure not to lose his state of mind.
"I was suffering quite a bit. I explained later at the aid station down at the bottom what I was going through and they thought I was low in salt but I wasn't."
But the elixir came from a medic who said it appeared as if MacLean was still smiling and enjoying himself.
"So I just walked off and tried to continue smiling all the way through despite any hardships by keeping a positive frame of mind."
MacLean did the 100km run from Tarawera to Kawerau in February last year which doubled as a qualifier to the US event before entering it again in February this year.
The Western States entice 8500 tickets so he considers himself lucky to be among the 3500 to make the lottery last December to secure one of the 270 spots plus other automatic entries, sponsors and invites. Of the 353 starters only 280 finished.
Those who finish between 24h-30h pick up a bronze buckle for their troubles but silver ones (under 24h) are the preserve of the marathon types.
MacLean and his partner, Gail Appleton, found an appropriate leather belt at Forbes Saddlery in Hastings for his bronze buckle this week.
So what's the plan with the bronze buckle?
"It's a funny one, actually. It's not something I'd normally wear but I probably will," he says with a laugh at something that he considers "very American".
Appleton is in awe of his achievement.
"I did my first half marathon [in Bay in May] so I have a huge respect for what Stu has done because I ran for fitness," she says.
For MacLean it was all about soaking up the atmosphere on a new frontier and interacting with a vibrant community.
"It's not there for show. It's really there for me. It's pure indulgence."
Not fulfilling expectations has its share of pitfalls, as he found out at someone else's expense.
A competitor missed out by a minute amid outpouring of social media sympathy that organisers should have awarded him a buckle.
The overall winner was an American, Andrew Miller, 20, who clocked 15h 39m over a "geographically embarrassed" compariot, Jim Walmsley, who was the pre-race favourite but took a wrong turn.
Ben Sutherland, of Wellington, was the only other Kiwi in the field, clocking 23:15 to return with a silver buckle.
"I ate peanut butter and jelly [jam] sandwiches," says MacLean but reveals the switch to fruit at the halfway mark proved to be a bad move after he had problems digesting it.
"I didn't eat after that and stuck to liquids like ginger ale and fizzy drinks."
It cost him US$S400 ($640), on top of flights and accommodation, to enter but he suspects a lion's share of that went into the production of the buckles.
His foray into trail running has spontaneity written all over it.
"I played golf and soccer until five years ago," says MacLean who competed in his maiden marathon, the Hawke's Bay one, in 2010.
For the lanky one it was a natural progression from the enjoyment of pounding the pavement, as it were, a decade ago.
"Just my previous work colleagues were out running every day so I thought I suppose I could and started and I was quite chuffed when I got to 10ks which was quite a milestone for me."
A half marathon beckoned and soon he was into a full one.
"That's when I discovered trail running and I really enjoyed the roughness of the terrain and and the ups and downs, whether it's raining or warm and all that."
However, he hastens to add the traditional 42.2km distance is of a high intensity whereas ultramarathons tended to be of low intensity and, consequently, less destructive on the body.
In 2013, he competed in the Rotorua Half Ironman but by then had become a regular at the Triple Peaks Challenge, having cycled it four times and run it twice.
Nevertheless, he was a "tailend Charlie" at this year's Triple Peaks because it was a service requirement for the Western States entry.
"You have to be aware as a volunteer."
MacLean was aware Dougie Kyle, of Napier, had competed at the Western States three years ago but did not finish.
Sharp broken rocks, pretty much lining the entire course, at Western States was stark reminder of not letting complacency cloud his judgements.
"So there were steep ascends, steep descends and flat stretches that were quite broken in places with quite a bit of foliage close to the tracks.
"Some areas were sparse of foliage and there was a small area where I had to run across about 20m of snow, which was very new for me."
He didn't think about running 160km at any point of that race but merely going from one aid station to another to meet his two American pacers.
"You go, 'Okay, I've got five miles to the next station. Okay, I'm feeling tired now so I'm going to walk to the next aid station and then run from there'."
It's ill advised to sit down because physically and mentally it weighs down on the athletes who eventually have to pick themselves to carry on, especially during the latter stages.
MacLean's strategy was no more than two minutes at a station so he accumulated 50 minutes when he crossed the line.
"Towards the end I was doing a fair bit of walking but I was getting passed by the same people over and over again because I was going through the aid stations a lot faster," he says, adding it's easy to build a rapport with fellow runners to exchange a few "cheeky moments".
His experience with trail running is "to be in the moment", enjoying the surroundings, who you running with and where you're going.
"If you're thinking about that very localised area then time passes very quickly.
"If your mind starts to wander then you'll stumble over a rock, twist an ankle or feel fatigued."
A lot of people swear by music but MacLean prefers the dulcet sounds of the outdoors in duet with his pounding feet.
The ultra-running community there are infectiously cordial and embrace runners, willing them to the end.
At mile 99, he found it humbling to see some of the 15,000 inhabitants of Auburn City hold an impromtu party to cheer on competitors at the finish line.
"We had 40 to 50 people calling out my name, sitting on couches and making a full day of it."
Unless a runner receives a golden ticket entry or is a top-10 female/male finisher, everyone goes into the lottery after qualifying.
MacLean definitely wants to go back so he'll submit his entry in November and keep his fingers crossed for the lottery the following month.
"If you get through you're charged right there and then so I have to make sure I have enough cash to get there and be up there with my training."
Covering about 50km a week in just training before a 70km haul on Saturdays and the balance on Sundays tickles his fancy.
His routine includes parking his car at Te Mata Peak and running past it every 2-3 hour in an eight-shaped loop for a quick bite and drink from the boot.
If he misses out on Western States, there's always the Aorangi Undulator in Wellington in November but this month there's the Wellington Urban Ultra where he's keen to be a helper. He's already entered the Tarawera in February.