Upper School history teacher David Baker ’04 and his brother Billy Baker ’00 completed the 125-mile Kerry Way Ultra in Ireland on Saturday, Sept. 5, through Sunday, Sept. 6, finishing as the first two Americans in the race.
The course included an extreme mountainous terrain, 18,000 feet of climbing, slippery, muddy surfaces, farmland, strong winds and rain, and breathtaking views. Billy, who finished just three seconds faster than his brother, ran an impressive time of 33 hrs, 43 minutes, and 26 seconds, while Mr. Baker ran 33:43:29.
Runners are required to finish this complex, mountainous, and treacherous race within 40 hours, making it almost impossible to take breaks. To take the lead for America is quite an accomplishment, considering that they aren’t even at the elite level yet.
Although there were aid stations, they didn’t take a good rest until they reached mile 90, where they took a nine-minute nap. Thankfully, Mr. Baker’s supportive dad, uncle, and friends signed up to crew. “Crewing means you support people at aid stations,” Mr. Baker said. “And so the crew doesn’t really sleep much either. They’re pretty much awake for the entire race.” The crew ensures the runners have enough food, water, and clean clothes to sustain them throughout their adventure.
Additionally, two other good friends decided to race alongside the Baker brothers. Mr. Baker and his brother were able to stick together for the whole race, ultimately finishing this 125-mile ultra at each other’s sides.
This was not Mr. Baker’s first race. In fact, this is his second time running the Kerry Way Ultra.
Mr. Baker has been running alongside his brother for the past 17 years. Although he didn’t start his running journey until his sophomore year of college, he has grown a passion for this hobby in such a short amount of time. “In my senior year of college, I ran my first marathon,” Mr. Baker explained, “and then after I did that, I was like, okay, what’s next?” The progression he has made, from exercising due to health reasons to now running because it’s his obsession, is proof of his growth. He plans to run and accomplish more as he matures as a person.
Training to run 100 miles straight requires years of dedicated training. “COVID was the reason I even started hundreds,” Mr. Baker said. “I never thought I’d run ultra races. And then during COVID, there were no races open.” During harsh times, the one thing that kept Mr. Baker moving forward was running; he even said so himself. “I need something to drive me forward,” Mr. Baker expressed, “to keep me sane and keep me healthy, so I ended up signing up for this.”
During that year, he decided to sign up for the Connecticut Ultra Traverse. Baker described the race. “Really hard, a hundred-mile race in Connecticut,” he said. “Once I did it, I was like, oh, I like this. I want to do this.” Although it was a challenging race, it wasn’t anywhere near as hard as the Kerry Way Ultra.
“It was incredible,” Mr. Baker said about his recent race. “It was an amazing, difficult, challenging, and such a rewarding race.”
