Combining the two is a real test of physical endurance, but the 48-year-old financial consultant has proved he is up to the challenge this summer while participating in the Ontario Ultra Series Races. In fact, he is already guaranteed a first-place trophy win in the over-40 age division for men –even before lacing up for his seventh and final ultra race this weekend.

Having completed six out of seven required events in the series, the long-distance runner is sitting comfortably at the top of his age category with more than 900 points. There are 66 other runners in his age division (40 to 49 years).

Excited by the pending win, Campbell is also hoping to place among the top three males overall in the series that comprises two other categories for male runners: under 40 years and over 50.

“It gives me an adrenaline rush,” he said of the sport. “It’s also a good way of burning off energy and staying physically fit.”

An Ultra event is a run, usually on trails, that is greater than a traditional marathon (42.2 kilometres or 26.2 miles). Most Ultras are 50K (kilometres) or greater.

Earlier this month, Campbell completed a 180K run –“in the rain” –near Mansfield, in the Barrie area. His time was 13:13:10. He has also competed a 78K race in Pickering, a 100K in Toronto, a 160K in Ancaster, and 50Ks in Niagara Falls and Creemore near Collingwood. He’s looking forward to his seventh race of the summer, a 160K run through the Haliburton Forest this Saturday.

“I come from a running background,” Campbell said, explaining that he used to run marathons and compete as a triathlete. A friend got him into boxing and he soon learned that he especially enjoyed the running part of his training.

In 1997, he “got serious about running” and began competing in triathlons, which include cycling, swimming and running. Last year, he decided to concentrate on running alone. He had done Ultra racing in the past, but had never done a full series. “I experienced a few (races) before deciding to see what it would be like to do the whole series,” he explained.

Campbell’s career as a financial planner with Investors Group in Cambridge helped him map out his strategy to do well in the Ultra Series. Just as he helps clients set financial goals and determine how to reach them, he set goals for his running and figured out a training program that would enable him to reach his objectives.

Trying to find a balance between family, business and personal life can be a challenge, but Campbell has found time in his schedule to train four or five times a week, including two to three hours on weekends.

He considers himself “a road warrior” and “a real competitor” and is gratified by the fact that other runners see him as a worthy contender. He cannot help but smile when he recalls signing up for a race in Kingston. When he registered, there were very few top runners on the roster but once his name appeared, several signed up. “I’m a drawing card,” he said with a laugh.

Campbell enjoys running in the Ontario Ultra Series races because of the camaraderie amongst the participants. “You get to know a lot of people you run with,” he said. If one of the runners has a problem along the course, others will stop and offer help. While a competitive atmosphere still exists in the sport, it’s not as competitive as 5K and 10K runs where the focus is all on winning, he explained.

Campbell’s personal best in completing 100 kilometres is nine hours, eight minutes. He’s focusing on building up his speed and hopes, someday, to complete the distance in eight-and-a-half hours.

His passion for running also includes volunteering his time to be events coordinator of the Kitchener-Waterloo Track and Field Association and race director of an annual 5K, 10K and half marathon run sponsored by the K-W Optimists every fall.

“We raise funds for kids and make them more aware of physical fitness,” he said of the September event.

Next year, Campbell will decide whether to continue with the Ultra Series or go back to running marathons and half marathons.