The art of running 100 miles on a busted spine

After a serious slipped disc, Chris McBride battled back to complete the IMTUF 100-mile race just 6 months after surgery, and a lifetime of setbacks

It would be normal to think that your life as a runner might be over when you have serious invasive surgery on your spine. Christopher McBride, however, was determined to run a 100-mile race just six months after his surgery.

Over a decade into his trail running career, Chris regularly stepped up onto podiums at the end of races, but his back was hurting. It hurt enough to go see a doctor, and the prognosis wasn’t great. It was a slipped disc, but there were some more surprises along the way.

Regardless, he had the Idaho Mountain Trail Ultra Festival to contend with, and he wasn’t about to give up his race fee.

From XC to the trails

It’s clear from the beginning of our conversation that Chris has always thought about what’s bigger. What’s next?

How did Christopher McBride become someone who runs 50,000 miles over a lifetime? Let’s call that 25 years of running 2000 miles a ye…