Full of energy and life, Reese is usually not only participating in the races, but also volunteering or working the events. Originally from California and Hawaii, Reese has only been in the Shreveport area for six years, but in that time, she has made her mark in the local running and triathlon community.

She is employed by SportSpectrum, the local running store that directs most of the races in this area. She was also instrumental last year in helping start the inaugural Louisiana Trails races held at Eddie Jones Park last November. All of the years of personal running and her years of experience in the running industry definitely complement each other as she strives to do even more.

Her latest goal is to complete eight ultra-marathons in eight months, or 8 in 8. An ultra marathon is usually considered one if it is at least longer than a full marathon, which is 26.2 miles.

Some common distances of ultra events are 50 kilometers, 50 miles, 100 kilometers and 100 miles. In her quest for eight ultras in eight months that began last October, she has completed six so far. Overall, she has completed 13 ultra marathons, including distances up to 50 miles, and she has completed nine regular marathons. Most of these ultra races have taken her five to six hours to complete.

Not only are the distances greater in ultra events, but they are normally run on challenging trails containing dirt, mud, grass, roots, and rocks.

This is one of the things that appeals to Reese so much as she does all of her running these days on trails, even when training. She likes the constant changing of the terrain and feel of the soft dirt beneath her feet as composed to the hard asphalt and concrete that most of us run on.

When asked what inspired her to do the ultra-marathons, she replied, "It was the personal challenge of taking my running to a new place. My forte is consistency in pacing. Once I get in the groove, I keep on going and going. Not speedy, just steady. That's what ultra running is all about."

She continued, "I love the type of people that do ultras. Very laid back and very experienced. Very positive and very happy. Ultra running is more about crossing the finish line with a smile on your face and not so much about what time you finish. I like that."

Although Reese has only gotten interested in ultras the last five years, she is no stranger to distance running as she has been at it for many years. In fact she has been running since age 19.

It is a "family thing" for her. Her husband of 27 years, Mike, has maintained his level of fitness through the years by running. She also has two sons, Elliot (21) and Riley (16) who are runners as well, including running cross country in high school.

After she completes her 8 in 8 challenge late this spring, Annie will take some time off from the ultras to get some rest and also concentrate on summer triathlons. After that, she plans on hitting the ultras hard again next autumn. She also noted that she would like to push herself and try a longer race of 100 kilometers (63 miles) sometime next winter.