Chane Cullens is proof that — with the right preparation and drive — you do not need any sort of extensive running background to jump feet-first (and forward) into the world of marathon running — and take it to another level with a bunch of ultramarathons to boot. Those are any races longer than standard 26.2 mile marathons, and Cullens even has a couple of 100-mile runs under his belt.

A decade and a half ago, the Newtown resident took on his first race experience as a 50-year-old and he has not looked back.

“I was never a runner until 2006. I played recreational soccer and enjoyed the sport. In Newtown about 30 years ago, we started adult pickup soccer games once or twice a week to have fun. At the same time, a handful of people I worked with were runners and each year a few were training for a marathon. At work, every year we raffled off four passes to the New York City Marathon. In 2006 I entered and won and my coworkers said, ‘but you don’t run.’ My reply was, ‘I have nine months before the race so I have time to get ready.’”

The rest is history. Since then Cullens, now 66, has run seven marathons and 11 ultramarathons, including a virtual race on his elliptical machine when on-site races were on hold due to the coronavirus in 2020.

This year, he ran the Forbidden Forest 30 Hour Ultra Run in the Roosevelt Forest in Stratford and racked up 82.6 miles, and also participated in the Tesla Hertz Run in Long Island State Pine Barrens Preserve in Rocky Point, N.Y. — logging 104.8 miles. Cullens also ran the Rooster Run 10K — a lengthy race for many, but a warm-up of sorts for an ultramarathoner.

Participants set up tents or utilize nearby hotels to catch a few hours of sleep to break up these ultramarathon distances.

“The course was a 10.48 mile loop on the Pine Barrens Long Island Greenbelt Trail,” Cullens said of the Forbidden Forest event. “I ran ten laps, which took a day and a half. You take breaks whenever you want. I chose to take a few hours off after finishing 50 miles, then started again well before sunrise on the next 50 miles. For this race there were 59 people trying for 100 miles, and another 100 people trying for other distances — from 10 miles to 150 miles.” For the Forbidden Forest event, participants run until they want to stop or until 30 hours have passed, Cullens explained.

For his 100-mile venture in 2020, Cullens went on his elliptical in 30 hours. “I created a plan — run, break, run, nap, run — while watching all seven Harry Potter movies. Similarly for the Hartford Marathon, you could select a marathon, half marathon, 10K or 5K, or the Grit & Gutsy 4: Full, Half, 10K, 5K. I chose all four and ran 48.6 miles on my elliptical one day,” he said.

“The sense of owning the challenge and enjoying the accomplishment,” Cullens said, are what he enjoys most about running marathons and ultramarathons.

“I train a lot at home on my treadmill and elliptical, especially when the weather is less than ideal. Many people wonder, how can you run hours on a treadmill? To me, the answer is easy since it gives me time to watch a TV show or movie that I’ve been wanting to see. This indoor training also worked well when for work I was traveling the world 25 percent of the time. I recall one time I ran 30 miles at once on a treadmill in India — I showed up with some snacks and the staff in the gym kept bringing me water,” Cullens said.

In the summer, Cullens plans for a long run on Sunday mornings and ties in meeting his wife to eat. “I’d strive to be on a trail in the woods a little after sunrise and 20-plus miles later meet Rhonda for lunch outside at My Place restaurant. Training on trails is good because ultra runs are on trails. Newtown has many trails in the Lower and Upper Paugussett State Forests. I’ve been on every trail many times. To run between the two forests, I run on various roads and see more of Newtown. I’ve also used a few Newtown Forest Association trails on other runs. I’m fortunate to live one mile from the Lower Paugusset State Forest and one mile from a Newtown Forest Association area,” he said.

“When running on trails I usually listen to an audiobook. Talk to any runner preparing for a long race and they tell you about their training plan — run hard, slow, fast, long, rest on these specific days. My training plan always has the option to drop any day’s activity for any reason. Running is about fun, not about a forced training regimen. I also run and bike on the Housatonic Railway trail which runs from Newtown to Trumbull,” Cullens adds.

Cullens grew up in the country in Oregon and running in the woods reminds him of the fun he had playing in the woods as a child. “The New York City and Boston marathons are amazing events. Tens of thousands of runners. Hundreds of thousands of fans. I’ve run them and I might run them again. Running in the woods at 3 am when you might not see another runner for a half hour is also thrilling,” he explains.

The sense of community that surrounds Cullens at races is enjoyable, he adds.

“At the races we often see a few people we saw at other races. It is a friendly community that cheers everyone on — we help each other. For example, in the Tesla run I came across someone I knew from the Forbidden Forest run; she was struggling, and we talked for a while and shared ideas. We were about two miles from the aid station when I left her. At the aid station I asked Rhonda to give her a hug when she arrived — which of course Rhonda did,” Cullens said.

“Likewise, at one of the Forbidden Forest runs, in June with 100-plus real-feel temperatures, I came across a guy stopped, hanging onto a tree about halfway up the largest hill in the race. I stopped, then two other runners stopped and we are offering him help and water. The aid station was only a half mile away; I ran ahead to get the EMTs, the other two helped him start walking and drink fluids. I was a little surprised that day that every time I returned to the aid station the EMTs were helping somebody else. After another lap I told Rhonda it was time for a few hours out of this heat. I returned after an afternoon thunderstorm,” he adds.

As one might guess, trail runs — the air temperature and long distances aside — have other risks.

“Running on trails means lots of tree roots and rocks. This also means I can’t remember a race over 30 miles where I did not trip and fall. Luckily, I’ve never been injured more than needing a Band-Aid,” said Cullens, adding that he carries them for races and training sessions.

Cullens ran the NYC marathon a second time, in 2014; he completed the Boston Marathon in 2008 and ‘09, and did the Hartford Marathon three consecutive years, 2016-’18.

Ultramarathons include the McKenzie River Trail Run 50K (31 miles) four times; Bimblers Bluff 50K (51.3K, 32 miles) twice; the Forbidden Forest Ultra Run a handful of times, with distances ranging from 55.5 to 100 miles, and the Tesla Hertz Ultra Run once.

Watch out for those office marathon raffles. You might just find you’re up to the task — and then some like Cullens, who has already signed up for the October 2023 Tesla Hertz race.

Sports Editor Andy Hutchison can be reached at andyh@thebee.com.