With such a philosophy it is no surprise that Patrick Reagan (USA) has decided to commit to the Comrades challenge. He will be part of the Nedbank Running Club's Dream Team.
'I believe this year's Comrades motto, 'It Takes All of You,' is an accurate assessment of my attraction to the race.
'Comrades has been described to me by friends as an unforgettable experience. Just thinking about lining up to race with 20 000 ultrarunners from all across the world gives me the chills.'
Reagan is under no illusion as to what awaits him.
'It is an up-run (Durban to Pietermaritzburg). So I understand it is going to be a real challenge, but I will embrace it with pride and excitement. I plan to savour the race atmosphere while racing to the best of my ability. I have confidence in my preparations for this event and look forward to racing the best ultramarathoners in the world, representing Hoka One One and Nedbank Running Club at the event.'
Reagan's racing CV certainly makes for impressive reading. At last year's International Association of Ultrarunners 100 km World Championships in Los Alcazares, Spain, he finished third in a time of 06:35:42. He also finished third in the UltraVasan 90 km race in Sweden and was second in the USA Track & Field 100 km National Championship.
This year he won the American River 25 mile race in 02:50:31 to set a course record.
His best time for a marathon is 02:20:06. For the half-marathon it is 1:04:29.
Reagan admits to not always being a runner. At first he played basketball and was passionate about skateboarding and cycling.
'Running began for me when I was 15 years old. My father invigorated my passion for our sport with stories about his running days with prolific US distance runners such as Don Norman and Joe Thomas, who were both native to western Pennsylvania. I was educated at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania where I competed in cross-country and track-and-field events.
'During college, I became passionate about training on hilly concrete and dirt roads in western Pennsylvania at a workload of 130 km to 160 km per week. The sport became the essence of who I was at the time.
'After college I took three years to pursue playing percussion and string instruments in ragtime and jugband jazz groups. I started running again in 2013.'
As to what made him decide to take up ultraracing Reagan said: 'The whole ultrarunning culture is beautiful to me. I enjoy the atmosphere at both road and trail races. Ultarunners are in the struggle of event completion and achieving personal goals together, even when racing – much like the Comrades, where 20 000 of us will battle one another, yet form personal bonds at the same time.
'Running is a very personal activity for me. I enjoy stepping out the door every day to experience the challenges of training while exploring beautiful places on foot. I enjoy listening to my breathing, the sound of my feet on the pavement or on a trail, and the sounds of nature around me. Running has helped me to develop my persona, confidence and character. The act of running brings me peace.'