Gamera wrote:
I don't know about your statement "any runner that could make it at a shorter distance would". I don't know much about Jornet, but I seem to remember him hitting the ultra scene at a really young age, like winning that Mont Blanc 103 miles or whatever when he was like 18 or 19. So it seems unlikely that he entered the sport from a typical track running background, concluded that he wasn't going to be any good at traditional distances, and gradually moved up. It looks more like he entered ultramarathoning because it was just a challenge that appealed to him. Such people do exist. Not all ultrarunners are failed 5k/10k/marathoners.
It's an entirely accurate statement. If any of us had the speed to run under 10 seconds in the 100m we would do that instead, no matter how much we love cross country or long distance running and the spirit of the marathon etc. If you had the ability to be world class in something you would go do that even if it isn't "your passion." There are no 400m runners who are capable of the WR 100m but their "passion" is 400m; they are 400m runners because that is what they are good at. If they could be world class 100m runners then they would but they can't so they aren't. Same thing goes with Jornet.