By John Goralski Sports Writer Bill Schrlau snapped awake at the sound of approaching footsteps, and he stumbled forward in a daze like a sleepwalker jerked into consciousness. Almost every distance runner can relate to the frequent stabs of pain that come with every step on swollen knees and ankles. Marathon runners can certainly understand the uncomfortable waves of nausea that sometimes sweep across the body, but even the hardiest Iron Man competitor would have to admit that sleep deprivation is a challenge that they’ve never had to face. For an ultra-marathon runner like Schrlau, it’s just one more obstacle in a relentless 24-hour race that can push athletes over 100 miles in a single day. “My eyes started to get heavy and close,” he said. “I couldn’t fight it. My head was nodding off, so I was actually falling asleep while I was running. Luckily, I was able to get some more caffeine in me, but it took about 40 minutes for the caffeine to take hold.” On Friday, July 25, Schrlau was among a list of 75 athletes to challenge the 24-hour event at the 18th annual Ultra Around the Lake race in Wakefield, Mass. Schrlau began running [...]
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