Some athletes have the endurance to just keep going and going and going, just like the Energizer bunny.

UW sports medicine specialist Brian Krabak wanted to study the endurance of athletes after he was asked to be medical director for the 4 Deserts races last year. The participants of the race traverse extreme conditions in four major deserts around the world: the Gobi, Sahara, Antarctic and Atacama Crossing in Chile.

“Everyone is different, and some people are able to sustain exercise for long periods of time,” Krabak wrote in an e-mail. “It’s probably part genetics and part training that determines one’s performance.”

Having competed in high-endurance events like such as the Ironman, Half Ironman and Sprint Triathlons, Krabak, a clinical professor studying sports rehabilitation and medicine, understands the mental and physical stress that’s placed on athletes.

“I enjoy the challenge of a long race,” Krabak wrote. “A lot of work and training goes into competing in such a race and it gives me a sense of pride to finish. And for these distance races, you need to be smart about how you train and the food you use to sustain energy.”

Common injuries include tendonitis, blood blisters, stress fractures and muscle strains due to overuse and improper training. During races, some will suffer from dehydration, low sodium levels and exhaustion. Building endurance takes time and being consistent in training, he wrote.

“Slow and easy, lots of volume,” wrote Aaron Moss, a fourth-year doctorate student in pharmaceutics and founder of Bellingham Triathlon Club, in an e-mail. “Your body must be trained to use energy at a more efficient level and to utilize fat for energy before sugar. This requires working out at excruciatingly slow tempos for increasingly long amounts of time.”

Sophomore Sophia Duluk, a member of the Husky Triathlon Club and Husky Running Club, builds endurance by doing long, low-intensity running, cycling and swimming workouts to focus more on form and breathing.

“I prep myself before events by eating a PB&J sandwich,” she said. “Before practice I like to just focus for a few minutes and think about what my goals for the session are.”

To mix things up, she adds speed workouts to push her limits.

“The key is to develop a training program that gradually increases the mileage for the various events over a slow period of time — about 10 percent per week,” Krabak wrote. “There should be periods of rest and easy training to allow the body to adapt to the stress of the exercise. … The people that are able to finish have a great ability to maintain their mental composure and block out the pain during the race.”

Krabak recommends that athletes maintain proper hydration and nutrition to help them work out.

Athletes find the motivation to compete, despite almost masochistic conditions.

“I want to compete because it gives me more motivation to stay in shape,” said junior Scott Schactler, a Husky Triathlon member. “It is also a good indicator of my progress in whatever I am competing in. I’ve never really had a problem finishing a race, but I’d have to say pacing yourself at the right moments and knowing when to go fast helps.”

Many athletes also experience a sort of runner’s high.

“Exercise of any kind can help with our mood and immune system,” Krabak wrote. “Exercise produces endorphins, which help with managing any pain in our bodies and elevates our mood. To some, this is probably the ‘runner’s high.’”

For those interested in starting running or experienced runners, the Husky Triathlon Club and Husky Running Club provide tips and a regular training schedule.

“Husky Triathlon Club gives triathletes, or soon-to-be triathletes, a chance to train with people with share the same interest,” wrote Josh Fountain, president of the Husky Triathlon Club and member of the Husky Running Club, in an e-mail.

The Husky Triathlon Club has one or two practices a day, and members pick and choose which ones work best with their schedule.

“Just like everything else, you have to spend time doing it if you want to get good at it. Ultimately it’s what interests you,” Fountain wrote. “Endurance is just a result from my passions. If I were to spend as much time as I do in studying instead of triathlons,… I would be a genius.”

[Reach reporter Doris Wu at news@thedaily.washington.edu.]