Utah man goes from (literal) couch to 100 miles

Utah man goes from (literal) couch to 100 miles

(Kendall Wimmer/Brian Peterson)


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SALT LAKE CITY — As Matt Van Horn crossed the finish line of the Wasatch Front 100 Mile Endurance Run on Sept. 12, he looked back on how far he'd come — and it wasn't just the 100 mile distance.

Last year, Van Horn spent the race sitting on the couch — well, in this case, a La-Z-Boy recliner.

Due to a painful diagnosis of cartilage damage in one knee, Van Horn had to forego the race, spending it in a makeshift living room that he set up on the course. He held up signs, cheering on runners as they passed, all while lifting up their spirits — a story that was chronicled in Trail Runner Magazine.

And while the smile on his face shined brightly for runners to see and draw inspiration from, Van Horn was anything but happy. He was sinking into a depression, fearing that he might never run another step again, even writing down his thoughts in an article titled, "When running is easier than not running."

"This is my claim: Running 100 miles is easier than not running 100 miles," Van Horn wrote. "There is no set distance to cover. It is uncertain. There are no time cutoffs. There is no finish line. You can't stop when you want to stop. There is no rest from it. … When the gift is withdrawn, and it doesn't matter the reason, there will be an avalanche of depression."

The months that followed his diagnosis, Van Horn took on a second job and stopped all physical activity. He lost fitness and gained weight.

It was then, when a chiropractor and running friend, Steve Frogley, stepped in to help.

"Steve believed he could help me, and convinced me to see him," Van Horn said. "At the beginning of the year I started to go out for hikes. In February my knee felt good enough to try running. I eased into it slowly, afraid to feel that pain and the depression that comes with it."

With help from Frogley, support of friends in the local and ultra running community and the unwavering faith and support from his wife Jana, Van Horn began running in April of this year.

He began running for an hour each day, eventually increasing that time, as the pain in his knee began to subside. And when the lottery for the Wasatch 100 opened, Van Horn decided he would put in for it, finding soon after that he had made it in.


When I won a place in the Wasatch 100 lottery, I determined to train for it and run it better than I had the two previous times. I wanted to place high and go under 24 hours, which only a handful do each year.

–Matt Van Horn


"When I won a place in the Wasatch 100 lottery, I determined to train for it and run it better than I had the two previous times," he said. "I wanted to place high and go under 24 hours, which only a handful do each year."

He began a five-month buildup, increasing his time running by a half hour each month until he was up to 2 to 2.5 hours a day, all while continuing to see Frogley regularly for adjustments and to do strengthening exercises.

"To my delight my knee felt good, but I was unsure if it would hold up over the course of a tough mountain 100-mile race," he said.

On the day of the race, it all came together.

With three pacers by his side, including Frogley and his wife crewing at the aid stations, Van Horn finished in sixth place overall, in a time of 23 hours 10 minutes — 3 hours faster than his previous finish.

"Last year I was sad to miss running Wasatch," Van Horn said. "I think it was then that I determined to defy the suggestion that I could never run at the same level that I had been able to run before the injury. I decided I would get into the Wasatch lottery, get drawn, train for it, and run it to the best of my ability — even to be competitive.

"There is a spiritual side to my story. I believe my knee was healed as an answer to many prayers. It has been a miracle. My faith in God has grown stronger through the experience."


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About the Author: Arianne Brown -------------------------------

Arianne Brown is a mother of six young children and an Altra, PROBAR, Nuun, and Unshoes sponsored athlete. For more writings by her, search "A Mother's Write" on Facebook or Twitter @A_Mothers_Write.

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