Phil Nigh the
Ultramarathon Guy
62-Year-Old Santa Barbara Runner
Completes Grueling 100-Mile Race
By Roman Trovato | August 22, 2024
Read the rest of our 2024 Active Aging cover story here.
In a 2020 survey, half of the 25,000 respondents said they hated running or could hardly stand it, while 8 percent reported they truly loved it. For that small group, pushing through the pain and breaking their personal bests brings a recurring sense of unrivaled accomplishment.
Santa Barbara’s Phillip Nigh is one of those runners, but to say he has endured “physical intensity and pain” during his running career would be the understatement of the 21st century.
At 62 years old, Nigh has run in roughly 30 ultramarathons, the Boston Marathon more than once, and clocked around 60,000 total miles. Having moved to Goleta at a young age, Nigh went to Dos Pueblos High School, where he competed on the wrestling team. It wasn’t until some time later after he had kids that Nigh took up running recreationally.
“I just needed an outlet and started running, slowly working my way up to marathons,” he said. “I ran the Boston three different times, and … where do you go from there?”
In 2012, Phil saw a documentary at the Lobero Theatre called Unbreakable: The Western States 100, highlighting four athletes who tackle the world’s oldest 100-mile race, which takes its brave participants up an 18,090-foot climb and down a 22,970-foot descent, from Olympic Valley to Auburn.
The tradition began in 1955 when a horseman, Wendell T. Robie, sought to prove that horses had the stamina to cover 100 miles in a single day. In 1973, competitor Gordy Ainsleigh’s mount went lame just before the race. Determined to still compete, Gordy set out on foot and finished in 23 hours, 42 minutes.
Today, in celebration of the race’s equestrian roots, all those who complete receive a Western States belt buckle to mark their accomplishment. Inspired by the film and intrigued by the challenge of a 100-mile route, Nigh began to run longer distances in preparation for his first ultra. When the Santa Barbara Marathon was canceled one year, he decided it was time to make the leap.
Over time, Nigh’s training routine has changed. “When I was just getting into them [ultramarathons], I would do 100-mile weeks,” he said. “But as I’ve gotten older, the body says, ‘You can’t do 100-mile weeks or you’re going to break.’ So, I have a group of guys, all about my age, that meet on the Peloton every day.”
Along with starting the day with cycling, Nigh’s routine includes a 20-mile Saturday run from his home in San Roque up to the Gibraltar Reservoir, followed by a shorter route on Sunday. “I think the most important part is that long run you do once a week,” he explained. Nigh also works out on the track and runs twice a week with the Santa Barbara Running and Racing group.
In the moments before a race, Nigh engages in meditation and prayer. “I just try to figure out where I want to go inside of my head,” he said. “When you’re out there that long, you do get inside your own head a lot, so you just have to get into a good space.”
Finally, after eight years of applying, Nigh’s name was recently picked from the Western States’ entrance lottery and he was able to compete in their 50th annual race, finishing in 29 hours and 48 minutes.
Now with the ultimate 100-miler checked off his list, Nigh is looking forward to spending more time paddling in the harbor, surf skiing, cycling, and enjoying all that Santa Barbara has to offer.
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