On November 11, 2023, on the Tunnel Hill 50 Mile, up-and-coming runner Charlie Lawrence entered the historical past books by breaking the males’s 50-mile world file in a time of 4:48:21.

This time beats the earlier file of 4:50:08, set by Jim Walmsley in 2019, putting Lawrence proper up there with a number of the finest ultrarunners on the earth.

We caught up with him to study slightly bit about his background, in regards to the build-up to this file try, and to listen to how issues performed out on the day.

[Editor’s Note: The following interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.]

A fast second of assist for Charlie Lawrence en path to a brand new 50-mile world file on the 2023 Tunnel Hill 50 Mile. Picture: Zack Lever/@TrailLive

iRunFar: Congratulations on the brand new 50-mile world file. You had some sturdy outcomes earlier than this on the highway within the marathon and half marathon distance. Might you briefly discuss us via your background as a runner?

Charlie Lawrence: I coach about 14 or 15 individuals, and I’ve been within the sport for a very long time. My mother was my highschool cross-country coach, and my dad was a observe coach once I was born. Lengthy story quick, my dad and mom received divorced once I was in first grade. So, in second grade, it was both go to cross nation and observe with my mother or go to daycare.

It developed from there right through highschool. [My coach through college] is certainly one of my finest pals, finest mentors within the sport, and I actually wouldn’t have gotten the shot I did after faculty with out him. I used to be not a rockstar in faculty, I used to be respectable, All Area in cross nation.

[Editor’s Note: Lawrence ran cross country at the University of Minnesota, an NCAA Division I school.]

We set our eyes on simply getting a half marathon proper after faculty. He continued to teach me after which in spring 2018 I did the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon in Minnesota, only a couple hours up the highway from Minneapolis [where I lived then], and ran 64:14. On the time I used to be like, that’s a fairly strong basis with the half distance.

Everybody began asking, “Are you going to run a marathon?” I stared to think about a U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier, and the usual at the moment was 2:19. I’m like, yeah, it might be a cool sort of bucket record factor, simply to qualify for the trials. So, we selected the USATF Marathon Street Championships [at the California International Marathon] in 2018 to be my shot at a qualifier time.

I used to be working a full-time job in ticket gross sales and in addition ending my graduate diploma, so it was a fairly busy fall and summer season. I received it performed in 2:16:10 there as my marathon debut. I say this rather a lot now, however 2:16:10 in 2018 was rather a lot higher than it’s these days. It was nonetheless the early increase of tremendous sneakers and all that.

I’ve now been out right here [living and running in Boulder, Colorado,] for 4 years or so and had some fairly common outcomes, honestly, simply been getting wholesome. I used to be out all of 2022 with a stress fracture after which had some respectable outcomes for certain. I suppose that’s the lengthy story quick.

iRunFar: You’re nonetheless fairly new to lengthy distances then. Was this your first extremely or had you performed 50 kilometers earlier than?

Lawrence: I’ve performed 50k. Off the bat and fairly lucky, an individual who I owe a ton of credit score to, is Des Linden. I knew her husband Ryan first, however we adopted one another on Instagram and he or she simply mentioned messaging forwards and backwards, “When you want something, let me know.” We saved in contact over a pair beers and occasional right here and there, some runs.

Then in 2021 she talked about, with races canceled [because of the COVID-19 pandemic], that she needed to take a stab on the 50k world file, and I used to be like, “Hey, if I might help in any method, let me know. I can tempo you if that was one thing you’d be taken with.” And he or she was like, “Nicely yeah, I’ll want a pacer for it.” So, it simply labored out that, already being a good friend of hers, and as somebody I look as much as rather a lot, it was a fantastic alternative. I paced her for that 50k [where she set the then 50k world record].

I ran the USATF 50k Street Championships seven weeks after that and blew up. Truthfully, I didn’t respect the space. I went for the win method too early, began operating 5-minute miles, a few sub-5s, and simply blew up. I ran 3:09 or one thing. I used to be fairly frankly fairly embarrassed with it. However once more, a studying expertise, you’ve received to respect it. So, to an extent, that was my extremely distance expertise. I’d run, I suppose, 5 marathons. However my favourite day of the week is Sunday long term.

iRunFar: With the 2023 Tunnel Hill 50 Mile, in your social media, you nailed your colours to the mast by calling it out as a file try beforehand. How lengthy had you had this concept to attempt to break the 50-mile world file?

Lawrence: In truth, about two years. In 2021, I’m undecided if you realize who Fernando Cabada is, however he’s somebody I’ve identified since my first race post-collegiately. I watched him win the USTAF Marathon Street Championships again in 2008 once I was in center faculty. He’s somebody I can bounce stuff off. I used to be having dinner with Fernando in 2021, that fall, and he was performing some extremely stuff himself. I informed him I needed to go for the 50-mile American file [which was also the world record].

Sadly, I got here down with a grade-four stress fracture that January. In order that undoubtedly put it on maintain. However he’s the one who was like, “You are able to do it, you must do it at Tunnel Hill.” I by no means heard of the race earlier than that. It’s sort of been on my radar, I suppose. This purpose actually got here up two years in the past.

iRunFar: The file you broke was set by Jim Wamsley. Did it make it extra intimidating, or extra interesting, to have such a giant identify connected to the file?

Lawrence: Truthfully, not intimidating in any respect. Some individuals undoubtedly snigger at it and there’s undoubtedly part of overconfidence on my aspect due to how, I don’t need to say easy, however I might on any given day go run 30 miles at 5:40 per mile tempo in Boulder. There’s half that’s mentally — it’s solely 20 miles, you should do 20 miles extra at that tempo, and if you issue within the altitude. So actually not intimidated by any means.

I knew it was a tall activity, so you bought to go do it. My largest day ever in follow was 35 miles, so there’s nonetheless the unknown of 15 miles, and for lots of people 15 miles remains to be a long term, so that you’re stacking rather a lot on it. However no, undoubtedly simply tremendous, tremendous assured in myself and the work I put in the previous few months. Virtually overly assured, honestly, however on the similar time that’s how I get for these races. Simply actually imagine I can do it.

iRunFar: Your pacing technique — you appeared to begin slower and ease into it. Was that the plan and the way did that work out?

Lawrence: Really, it was a multitude, however the [the published splits from the race] had been method off.

iRunFar: Oh, okay! What really occurred then?

Lawrence: Yeah, I had some huge cash within the financial institution. I used to be underneath 5:40 for each mile [in the first half of the race.] My first mile at 5:40 was mile 25, it was 5:40 even. So, I had numerous time within the financial institution.

iRunFar: Have been there any low factors within the second half or had been you in a position to maintain that effort pretty effectively?

Lawrence: No, it received arduous. It received actually arduous. I needed to actually decide to it and keep on it.

Comparatively, it’s a flat, quick course — however there’s a stretch from roughly mile 30 to mile 38 or 39, it’s all uphill, it’s nothing steep however you’re climbing all the time. Which is nice, however on the similar time I have already got 30-ish miles in my legs at 5:40 tempo. I needed to put numerous effort in to keep up tempo up that.

Then you definately flip round, you may have this downhill going again dwelling after you undergo the tunnel, it’s nice. Clearly you’re operating downhill towards the end the final eight, 9 miles. However at that time, I’d caught to it actually arduous for 30 to 40 miles to ensure I had it. My quads had been fairly fried from climbing and the 40 miles prior, so operating downhill didn’t really feel nice.

iRunFar: What’s subsequent for you? Have you ever received anything in thoughts?

Lawrence: Brief time period, I’ve the Olympic Marathon Trials developing in 80 days. That’s actually the plan, to perhaps get a quick half, to run the Houston Half Marathon to work on some pace.

Past that, a giant purpose is the USATF 100k Street Championships developing, so far as I do know, subsequent fall. I’d like to go get a title there.

I do know issues change with [the International Association of Ultrarunners] and all the things, however we’d like to additionally attempt to chase a U.S. 50k title down the highway, make a worlds staff there.

And to be aggressive on the marathon, as a result of I believe being environment friendly on the marathon and having the ability to run 5:10 per mile and even faster helps exponentially with having the ability to run 5:40 to five:50 tempo for a 50 miles, or 5:50 to 6-minute tempo, for 100k. So completely if you are able to do that, you’re competing for world medals.

iRunFar: You’ve heaps to look ahead to. Thanks a lot for taking the time to talk, and I hope you recuperate effectively.

Lawrence: Thanks.