Perry Ligon

Perry Ligon - Pennsylvania Endurance Runner

August 30, 2011

I understand you are an endurance runner. How did you get into this intense sport?

I have always been an avid hiker and backpacker. Unlike many hikers and backpackers, I have always tried to push myself toward a daily mileage goal. Also, my wife has been a competitive softball player for 17 years and has encouraged me to stay active. When I heard about endurance trail running, I decided to run my first ultra marathon last year. I loved it! I use to really concentrate on speed, but now I feel such a sense of fulfillment upon finishing the competitions. I have three more 27-plus-mile runs coming up this year. The icing on the cake will be the 50-plus-mile run at the end of the year.

How do you stay motivated to keep up with your running?
It’s fun! It is a good way to stay healthy, and I’m not getting any younger! Also, I had a back injury in college. My doctor said I would never run again. I guess I don’t like being told when I am finished with something. I also really enjoy the community of other trail runners I have met.

What is your typical training schedule like?

I run almost every day and do six to nine mile maintenance runs. I do lunch street runs or evening trail runs and fit in ten to twenty mile runs on the weekends. I average about 150 to 200 miles per month.

Where is your favorite place to run?

I really like the Boyd Big Tree Preserve. It is on the north face of Blue Mountain, overlooking Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. You can run anywhere between three and thirteen miles using the trails you piece together.

How do you use chocolate milk as part of your exercise routine?

Chocolate milk for recovery came as a pleasant surprise. At the North Face Endurance Challenge in Washington DC, I was handed a bottle of chocolate milk at the finish line.  Prior to that, I had always thought of milk as a dinner beverage. I have found chocolate milk is a good fit for over-use injuries.  It is now one of my go-to beverages after a workout.

What’s next for you?

I will be competing in the Susquehanna Super Hike. Many people walk the course, but it seems like a growing number of people are running these types of events. I will be running and trying to improve my time from last year. Editor’s Note:  The Super Hike was cancelled due to flooded trail conditions. Here was Ligon’s response to the cancellation, “For the fun of it, I found a half marathon to jump in. It was a small event in Pottsville, PA, full of huge killer hills. It was a road event, but I still had a blast and my ½ marathon time was only 5 minutes off the last one I ran that was on a basically flat course. It was The Sol Lipton Run Fest Half Marathon, the proceeds benefit the Sol Lipton Memorial Scholarship Fund which provides college scholarships to local high school students.”