WRNMMC, Bethesda, Md.  –   Perseverance. That’s what it takes to complete an ultramarathon. Army 1st Lt. Grace Ennis, a nurse on 3 Center at Walter Reed, has completed four of them in the brief period of time she’s been tackling the long-distance running events.

“An ultramarathon is defined as any race longer than a marathon, which is 26.2 miles. The most common distances are 50 kilometers (31 miles), 50 miles, 100 km (62 miles), 100 miles, and 100-miles-plus races,” Ennis explained.

“I became interested in ultramarathoning for the first time after I graduated college in 2021. However, having not run more than 13.1 miles at that point, I did not think it was feasible to me to do. I ran my first marathon in 2022, and then immediately signed up for my first ultramarathon. After that, I was hooked. My brother-in-law also runs ultramarathons and after helping pace him in the summer of 2021, I decided this was something I wanted to pursue as well,” said the native of St. Paul, Minnesota.

Ennis has completed four ultramarathons dating back to Oct. 28, 2022, when she finished 32nd overall out of 986 finishers, and fourth in her division (females, 20-29, with 326 competitors) in the Marine Corps Marathon 50 km. Her time was an impressive 4:01:06. According to Running Level (https://runninglevel.com), which calculates the running performance for all distances of males and females, “A good 50 km time is 4:31:44. This is the average 50 km time across all ages and genders. A good 50 km time for a man is 4:15:57. This is the average 50 km time across men of all ages. A good 50 km time for a woman is 4:55:05. This is the average 50 km time across women of all ages.”

The next competition Ennis competed in came on April 15, 2023, when she took on the Zion Ultras and Trail Half Marathon 50 km at the Zion National Park in Utah, where she finished eighth overall among 398 competitors, and third in her division among 158 runners in a time of 4:57:47.

A little more than a month later, she tackled the Dirty German Endurance Fest 50 miler in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on May 20, 2023, and finished first overall among the 102 runners, that included 25 women, in a time of 8:04:06.

Her most recent race took place July 12-13, 2023, in Fairplay, Colorado, where she competed in the Silverheels 100-mile Endurance Run, in which she finished 23rd out of the 26 competitors, and third among the five women who finished the run. She finished the 100-miler in 35:53:00.

“I love running. I have been running since high school and I missed the competitive atmosphere. I also love being outside and hiking, so ultrarunning combines my love for running with my love for hiking and the outdoors. It gives me something to work for and it’s also a way for me to see some really beautiful parts of the country. I have been able to see Zion National Park as well as the mountains of Colorado through some of my ultramarathon races, and I hope to see many more places,” Ennis shared.

“The most rewarding experience thus far was definitely finishing the 100-mile race I ran this past summer in Colorado. It was probably the hardest thing I have ever done, and there were many times during the race when I did not believe I was capable of finishing. So, when I finally crossed the finish line, it was one of the biggest accomplishments in my running career and I was just in awe that I was able to run for 36 hours straight,” she said.

“It felt like all my training and workouts before and after a 12-hour [nursing] shift had paid off and it was a special moment,” Ennis continued. “Running and working is definitely difficult, and finding time to train isn’t easy, but the feeling of having something challenging to work for that pushes me every single day is extremely rewarding. It gives me something to look forward to and helps me to stay active.”

Ennis explained her training includes not only running, but also weightlifting and cross training, usually stationary biking.

“I am primarily self-coached and have designed my own training plans based loosely on plans and advice from ultra running books I have read,” Ennis said. “I usually try and split up the months before my races into phases of different workouts such as speed, tempo and endurance. I usually try and start with the shorter workouts and build my mileage so that in the weeks leading up to the race, I am running my longest workouts. Depending on the ultramarathon distance I am training for, I typically run 45 to 80 miles per week.”

Although Ennis is passionate by ultramarathoning, she explained nursing is also her love. “I was inspired to become a nurse through the example of my older sister, who is a pediatric nurse. I wanted to do something in the medical field and nursing seemed like the most versatile path.”
She earned her nursing degree from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, and made the decision to serve in the military.

“I wanted to become an Army nurse because of the leadership and travel opportunities it provides, as well as the potential to take care of veterans and fellow service members,” she explained.

“I really enjoy taking care of service members, both veterans and active duty. Getting to listen to their stories and hear about their experiences is lifegiving. The Army also provides a lot of extra training opportunities that allow me to grow simultaneously as a nurse and as a leader.

“Last September, I had the opportunity to go TDY [temporary duty assignment] to Fort Liberty in North Carolina and work in the Emergency Room there for two months. It was a really great experience where I got to learn and utilize different nursing skills and meet a lot of amazing people. I really enjoyed the opportunity to treat more active-duty folks [because] Fort Liberty draws a little bit of a different demographics than I am used to [at Walter Reed],” Ennis added.

In addition to taking care of the nation’s heroes, nurses such as Ennis are also encouraged to take care of themselves through regular exercise and other healthy lifestyle practices to help prevent burnout. Despite the active nature of the nursing role, which includes long hours and rotating shifts, many nurses may not undertake enough physical activity themselves, according to nursing professional. While nurses often advise their patients to exercise to improve their lifestyles, some nurses may not be doing the same.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) explain exercise not only reduces the risk of lifestyle-related diseases, but it also reduces the risk of work-related injury (patient lifting, equipment transportation, etc.). Exercise can also help to reduce stress and burnout, as well as boost endorphins, the CDC adds.