GetHiking! Explorer Series: Meet the Ultimate Mike

Have you ever wondered how far you could hike in a day? 10 miles? 15? Shoot, maybe 20?

In 2014, Mike Owen was a recent convert to hiking when he saw a flyer advertising something called the Ultimate Hike. A life-long athlete,Mike was intrigued to read about this program that offered a 12-week training program, at the end of which you hiked 28.3 miles — in one day (one long day, starting at 4:30 in the morning and ending right about sunset. Mike signed on — and was hooked.

Including a just-completed Ultimate Hike in the Canaan Valley area of West Virginia, Mike has completed 10 Ultimate Hikes (including four in one year). Distance hiking has become a lifestyle for Mike, who is 70 and can frequently be seen doing a 15-mile hike at Umstead State Park in Raleigh in the dead of summer.

Come hear about how Mike got hooked on distance hiking, the gear he uses, how he trains for up to four 20-plus-mile hikes a year — and how you can, too.