17,741 miles and counting

He likes to run until he’s tired, and he doesn’t get tired easily. Add up his miles from the last seven years, and he’s run the equivalent of almost three-fourths of the way around the world. One time, he ran for 22 hours.

Distance and destination don’t matter. Scott Breeden won’t stop moving.
He ran his first 50-mile race as a freshman in college. Now, the junior biology major has completed nine 50-milers and one 100-mile race. He’ll face his most grueling challenge yet in August.

It’s one thing to run 100 miles, but it’s another to run it fast. Last year, Breeden competed in the USA 100 Mile Trail Championships in Ohio, where only the best of the best in the ultra-marathon world vied for the title. Breeden, a 21-year-old from Bloomington, placed 23rd.

To the average pedestrian, a 100-mile run sounds, well, crazy. For Breeden, it’s fun. He says, simply, that he’ll quit running when he gets bored. For now, it’s routine.
Every day he slips on his racing flats, joins his running friends, and jumps into an easy, rhythmic stride.

They hit the roads with no destination in mind, no concerns of distance or running pace. Yet week after week, Breeden logs 70 to 110 miles. His total career mileage? 17,741.

“I just run as much as possible,” Breeden says. “That’s pretty much it.”

Breeden is a modest, no-frills, laid-back kind of guy.  He’s got the build of your average runner—thin and toned—with shaggy hair.  He eats between 5,000 and 6,000 calories per day, and opts for ice cream instead of tofu because it’s cheap.

In the running community, camaraderie is inextricably linked to the sport. Breeden’s running friends get him out the door on blustery winter days, make long runs interesting, and show up on race day to cheer him on, if they’re not competing themselves. 

IU graduate Wes Trueblood has known Breeden since high school, but formed a tight bond with him last year. Trueblood, a former drug addict, credits his friend for helping him refocus and get back in shape.

The two now spend their Sundays running 20 to 25 miles together.

“I’d consider him my best friend,” Trueblood says. “I guess if you run enough miles with someone you kind of become best friends.”

Breeden will rely on his friends and other close supporters this year as he attempts his most difficult ultra-marathon to date — the Leadville Trail 100.

Runners must qualify for this event, which Trueblood dubbed “every ultra-marathoner’s dream.” The run, featured in the best-selling book “Born to Run,” takes place in the heights of the Colorado Rockies. Elevations range from 9,200 to 12,600 feet.

Only 363 runners out of 850 completed the course last year within the 30-hour time limit.

Breeden loves mountain running. He’s logged miles in both the Smokies and the Rockies, and plans to move out West someday.

“I think it’s a lot easier to run farther when you’re 10,000 feet up and can see everywhere,” he says. “It’s a completely different experience running up there.”

While he thrives in the mountains, Leadville won’t be easy. At some point in the race, Breeden knows he’ll want to stop. But he also knows how he’ll feel when he crosses the finish line.

“I guess you get a new perspective on life when you’ve been running for 20 hours and then you sit down,” he says. “It’s a feeling like nothing else.”