Though weak and retching, Powell resident Garrett Burbank had refused to give up for about 40 miles despite being extremely sick a week prior to his first attempt to run 100 miles last year during the Bighorn Trail Run.

“I’ve never seen him that sick," said his wife Becky as he hit the trail running last year. "He really kind of likes to suffer, so I'm hoping that he's just going to tap into that.”

He did tap into the suffering, running more miles in the mountains than most will ever run at one time. The minimum distance for an ultra-marathoner is defined as running any distance longer than a marathon. That said, there is something mythical about the 100-mile mark. Burbank was never interested in the shorter races available. He was determined to finish the 100-mile no matter how long it took him to succeed.

Burbank has been through several injuries in pursuit of his goal. A severe ankle sprain and injured foot received while training in the North Fork of the Shoshone River's steep landscape cost him about two years of recovery time prior to his 2024 attempt. His goals aren't made lightly and Burbank isn't one to give up easily. When he fails, he takes those lessons learned to heart without allowing the failure to destroy his resolve and continues pursuing his goals.

As Burbank resumed training after the failed attempt, his resolve strengthened. But training for ultra-marathons isn't easy, especially as he is a father to three active children (Lincoln, Nova and Riley) and is on the road often as the director of engineering at Endurance Lift Solutions in Fort Worth, Texas. He's a busy guy.

Unlike some goals, running a century isn't something everyone is able to do. Until you do it, it's an unknown. Burbank was dead serious about achieving his goal, but was realistic about the benefits of trying.

"The pursuit of running 100 miles, or the pursuit of anything that you deem worthwhile, whether you succeed or don't succeed, the act of pursuing it is worthwhile," he said. "It's like, aiming at your goal even though you failed is still worthwhile.”

The 2025 race, held June 20-21, was Burbank's last chance to achieve his goal prior to turning 40. He celebrated his 40th on July 4. However, after doing a self-guided marathon on Heart Mountain a month before the Bighorn Trail Run, Burbank had difficulty recovering. His sleep was off and he didn't seem to be bouncing back like normal.

He uses a fitness tracker to monitor many categories of health. It gives him a performance number while running. On the day of the trail run his tracker was not helping.

"I'm a mile and a quarter in when I got my (tracker) feedback, and it's like, you should take a nap, this isn't the day for you. And I'm like, well, we've got 100 miles to do," he said. "So that's how it starts. Something like that can get in your head."

He realized he hadn't managed to reach his peak properly, partially due to his busy schedule.

"My knees were swollen, my feet were hurting, and I'm, like, only 4 miles in. I'm like, this is just going to be a struggle bus," he said.

The race is an epic mountain endurance adventure crossing through the valleys of the Little Bighorn and Tongue rivers of the Bighorn National Forest. Participants have 35 hours to navigate a remote, technical out-and-back course, while Mother Nature provides over 20,500 feet of ascent and 20,750 feet of descent testing the most seasoned ultra-runners with 76 miles of technical single-track trail, 16 miles of rugged two-track jeep trail road and 8 miles of gravel road. About 1,100 runners participated in the races, an increase over 2024 by about 10%.

"The Bighorn 100 is one of the classics, demanding you to reach deep down to your core of mental and physical fortitude," according to race organizers.

It took Burbank 10 to 15 miles before he started feeling better. He knew his family would meet him at the first aid station at Dry Fork and it helped inspire him to start having fun.

"I was having fun living off the energy of the race, the people and the volunteers," he said.

At the next stop, called Sally's Footbridge, his family once again was at the station. Everyone was willing to help him get back on the road. Again he was inspired, this time by his children. Four-year-old Riley even helped wash Burbank’s feet and put on new socks before he was off and on the trail again.

"They were able to be a part of it and I like that," the proud papa said.

The runners, volunteers, those in attendance and his family filled the runner with a great feeling of "love." The generosity of those around him spread like a summer cold and soon he found himself helping others including a runner with severe cramps and yet another who was getting sick on the side of the trail.

"I felt like my capacity to love increased — like I genuinely loved these people. That's not something I'm good at doing," he said.

He was off again, running through the night on steep singletrack, jeep trails and gravel roads. He had help from friends on the trails as well. Craig Paul and David Holland helped him stay on pace through the race, each running with him for about 30 miles.

With 20 miles left in the race, Burbank suddenly found the inspiration he needed to finish the race strong. Another 100-miler told him they could finish under 31 hours if they sped up.

"He's like, we can go sub-31 if we push right now. And, and I said, All right, let's go. Let's do it," Burbank said.

Each mile seemed to go faster. At first they sped up to 14- and 15-minute miles. Burbank felt fresh and kept getting faster, running so fast at one point he dropped his pacer. This year's 100-mile race had 261 participants with 207 finishing the race. The average speed was 18:24 per mile with an average time of about 30 hours and 41 minutes.

Burbank's final split as he headed to the finish line was a 7:20. All the years of pain, planning and sacrifice finally paid off as he grabbed Becky and the kids for sweaty hugs after he finished. Burbank finished the race in under 31 hours with a 30:58:56 finish, good for 83rd place.

He knows it wasn't the fastest time of the day, but the competition for most of the runners is between them and the course, not with the other participants. Either you make it or you don't.

There was a woman in her 60s who traded places quite a few times with Burbank as they ran the course. He would pass her and then she would pass him. It's pretty common in ultra-marathons, depending on how long of a break you take at the aid stations and how your body responds to the task, among the many variables.

"She beat me to Dry Fork, which my kids loved," he said with a smile. "They got a good kick out of that."

Yet, the feeling of being able to run his fastest at the end of the race got him thinking: Maybe he should go for a longer race next time.

"I think 200 miles might be my race," he said sarcastically, but seriously.