Sheriff's Office sergeant fights off mental fatigue to complete Dunes 100 ultramarathon

Imagine, if you will, driving just over 100 miles from Lakewood Ranch to Kissimmee. The concentration during that drive takes somewhat of a toll.

Now imagine running 100 miles.

That’s exactly what Lakewood Ranch resident Matt Bertrand did on Feb. 25. Bertrand, a sergeant with the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, was part of the inaugural Dunes 100, a 100-mile ultramarathon that started and finished at Jupiter’s Jonathan Dickinson Park. He finished in 21 hours, 40 minutes and 55 seconds.

Yes, those numbers are correct.

Bertrand said the most common question he gets about the race is simply, “Why?”

Not much of an athlete growing up in the United Kingdom, Bertrand started out slow in the running community, doing it as a way to keep in shape. His first race was in 2005, a simple 5K on Siesta Beach and from there, he upped his dose of running to a 10K, and kept steadily adding mileage until he finished his first (and only) 50-mile race in 2015.

Eventually, Bertrand set a goal for himself to complete a 100-mile race by the time he turned 40. He is 39 now, with an October birthday. The time had come for Bertrand to achieve what he set out to do, even though his wife, Harmony Bertrand, said he dragged his feet signing up for the race, continually putting it off before one day making the commitment.

There is additional context through which Bertrand’s goal can be viewed.

“Anyone can do it, I really believe it,” Bertrand said. “With the right training, anyone can do this. The running community, and particularly the ultra-running community, is so accepting. They just want you to succeed. If it’s a goal, I think that it can be done. You just have to go at a pace that will sustain you for that long.

“It’s a different ballgame than faster racing, and I think that’s what draws me.”

Bertrand successfully proved his own hypothesis by completing the Dunes 100 and, in fact, loved the experience. Before the race, he researched tips and tricks on the Internet and figured out that it would be best to think of the race in tiny sections. The course itself was 25.286 miles long, to be completed four times. There were six aid stations along the course so focusing on going from station to station made the challenge slightly less daunting, Bertrand said.

Not to say that there weren’t challenges. Around the 75-mile mark, Bertrand started to feel mental fatigue. Another full time around the course would not be easy, especially in the dark with no visual stimulation.

“I wish my car was here,” Bertrand remembers thinking to himself.

Despite the lack of a vehicle, Bertrand found an extra gear, and did not quit.

Eating helped him get through the tough spots. Bertrand is a vegan, so he packed himself eight peanut butter and and jelly sandwiches to eat throughout the race as to not rely on the food provided by the aid stations. He did enjoy their chips, potatoes and soda, though, which he said was a nice treat since he tries to cut snacks of that ilk out of his normal diet.

Early in the race, around mile 25, Bertrand started chatting with another runner, Eddy Souza. The two hit it off, and decided to run with each other while talking about their lives and families. Souza had arranged for different friends to pace him through different stages of the race, and Bertrand tagged along. After keeping up a solid pace, Bertrand and Souza found themselves all alone at the front of the pack. They decided to complete the rest of the journey together and cross the finish line at the same time. This was no small decision: There was money on the line. First place was awarded $1,000, and second place $500. They split the money, each taking home $750, plus a new friend.

“Complete elation and pride,” Bertrand said, on what he felt immediately after finishing the race.

Harmony Bertrand described her husband as “the sweetest, funniest, sincere person” and was not at all surprised that he made a friend during the race. She was following his progress through an app on her Apple Watch, and getting text updates from their two daughters, Michelle and Libby. Communication was sparse between husband and wife on the day of the race, as Harmony Bertrand was busy at work. (She’s a sales rep at Macy’s.) The race, which began at 6 a.m., ended in the middle of the night, so Matt Bertrand stayed at a hotel in Jupiter and went home in the morning. Still feeling the effects of the race, Bertrand tossed and turned in his sleep for two consecutive nights before returning to a normal sleep schedule.

Now that a few weeks have passed, Bertrand is focusing his attention on what’s next. He wants to do another 100-miler, he said, but does not know if he is ready to do more than that just yet.

If history is any indication, Bertrand won’t be able to plateau for very long before seeking out his next challenge.