On October 12 and 13, 47-year-old Minnamurra local Rob Mason completed his 36th ultra marathon at the Hume and Hovell Ultra Marathon event in Tumbarumba.

An ultra marathon is defined as any run longer than the standard marathon distance of 42 km, ranging from 43 km to distances as extreme as the self-transcendence 3100-mile race (nearly 5,000 km), the longest recorded.

The Hume and Hovell event was 100 miles (160km) and Mason finished third overall with an impressive time of 21 hours and 51 minutes. This race marked Mason’s return to competition after a year-long hiatus due to a hip injury

“I was a little nervous going in, wondering how the injury would pull up, especially after the ten-hour mark, but it went really well and I ran probably better than I ever have. I did have a few issues during the race—I got lost, and my stomach went bad—so I had to deal with a couple of setbacks that cost me a couple of hours, but I managed to come through them and get a strong finish,” says Mason.

Mason has been running ultra marathons since 2009 and considers his 2022 win at the Coast to Kosciuszko run one of the highlights of his career.

“That course starts at Eden and ends at the top of Mt Kosciuszko. All in all, it’s a 240 km race, and I won that in 2022,” says Mason.

So why do it? Why run these insanely long distances over and over again? Mason says that it allows him to realise he can do things he never thought possible.

“When you go for those longer distances, it really becomes a mental game, and that’s where I love to find out what I’m capable of,” he says. 

“I think the sport becomes addictive because you're growing as a person while you’re training and realising that you can do more than you previously thought. I think humans limit themselves, and these races prove that you can do things you think you can’t and break down those limits you put on yourself.”

Mason believes that these mental challenges and hardships not only allow you to run longer distances, they also allow you to test your limits in everyday life - if you can run 240km, what can’t you do?

“It’s such a confidence builder and it helps you believe in yourself. If you can run 100 miles, then you can start a business, and you can be a great dad. It teaches you to go after things that you think you’re not capable of,” says Mason.

In addition to his impressive running achievements, Mason has been a professional firefighter for 25 years, currently serving at the Shoalhaven Fire and Rescue. Throughout his running journey, he has raised over $21,000 for the burns unit at the Children’s Hospital in Westmead.

His hip injury actually occurred while training for one of these charity runs—an ambitious run across NSW.

Mason describes crossing the finish line after such an injury as one of his sweetest moments in the sport, which is why he hasn't yet chosen his next event.

“I haven’t picked the next race yet—I’m trying to enjoy the feeling of this one. But I am back now, and I’m back stronger and wiser since the injury,” he says.