Roundabout runner does it again

When we spoke with Healdsburg, Calif., runner Tate Dobson two weeks ago, he had no intentions of getting back out and running another roundabout ultramarathon. On Dec. 11, the 21-year-old went out for another six-hour roundabout rip on the same loop, but in the opposite direction.

This time around, Dobson repeatedly ran counterclockwise and bettered his time and distance, covering 61 kilometres in his six-hour time limit, with an average pace of 5:53/km. (He ran 58 km when he ran clockwise, 12 days previously.)

Dobson ran around the 140-metre loop 437 times. “I think I don’t get dizzy,” he laughs. After 851 total loops, we hope Dobson has the Local Legend and the segment record on Strava.

He has gained quite the following on his Strava and Reddit since his inaugural roundabout ultra went quasi-viral. He cleverly named his run on Strava “widdershins,” which means counterclockwise.

He once again was fuelled on only water and Motts-branded fruit gummies. “I set up a gummy’s and water fueling station on the middle of the sidewalk in the roundabout,” he laughs. “I tried to fuel every half hour but did not do a great job.”

This time Dobson did not do the challenge alone, but had a friend who jogged with him for support. He also motivated two other friends to do the same roundabout challenge in Atlanta, Ga.

Dobson, 21, lives in Healdsburg with his grandfather and had no interest in running, let alone ultrarunning, until the pandemic. “I saw a few runners on Strava posting high-effort satirical runs (Strava art or vertical challenges), and one day, after a few drinks, I was walking home through the roundabout and wondered how long I could run around it for,” says Dobson. 

When asked whether he would return to the roundabout for another ultra, he said not for a while.