Ben Gibbard Shrugs Off Heat Stroke, Completes 100-Mile Ultramarathon

Death run is his duty: Ben Gibbard, frontman for Death Cab for Cutie and the Postal Service, finished the Western States 100 ultramarathon Sunday morning —  the fifth time he’s competed in a 100-mile race. “I can’t believe I made it,” he told Runner’s World.

The 48-year-old Gibbard nearly didn’t make it past the halfway point, when he began to feel the effects of the 90-degree heat. “I think I was having heat stroke or something,” he said. “By the time I got to the top of the canyon at Devil’s Thumb, I couldn’t see. I was really nauseous. I was seeing double and had to lie down. I was shivering even though they were putting blankets on me. I was in bad shape.”

Volunteers at an aid station gave him hot broth, which helped him resume the brutal mountain course. The Western States 100 ranks as America’s top ultramarathon, launching from the Palisades Tahoe ski resort and ascending to nearly 9,000 feet before dropping into Auburn, California.

After years on the race’s waitlist, Gibbard finally secured his spot in early June. He began at 5 a.m. Saturday morning, I reached the finish at Placer High School’s track Sunday at 8:15 a.m., running all night to complete the full distance in roughly 27 hours.

The musician has tackled extreme endurance events since 2012, finishing over 20 trail races. When the race turned brutal on Saturday, he relied on Teenage Fanclub’s music to keep moving forward.
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“That was a very rough patch,” he told Runner’s World. “If it wasn’t for the volunteers at the aid station, I never would have made it. Everyone was so kind and did everything for me when I needed it.” For the race, Gibbard sported prototype footwear from Speedland, a Portland-based company set to launch a signature shoe with him this August.

In August, Death Cab for Cutie will play a four-gig run celebrating the 20th anniversary of their 2005 album Plans.