Myke Hermsmeyer

Ultrarunner Jim Walmsley.

It takes a certain kind of person to become an ultrarunner. These are people who are willing to push their bodies — and their minds — to their limits.

Jim Walmsley is UltraRunning Magazine’s 2016 and 2017 ultrarunner of the year and has a regular training route up and down the Grand Canyon. Next month, he’s lending some star running power to Scottsdale’s Beat the Heat Race, which is scheduled to take place on June 16.

Walmsley talked about what motivates him to do this extreme sport.