WORTH TWP — Around the crack of dawn Saturday, hundreds of so-called “ultras” took off running.

And running. And running. And running.

These adventure seekers/nature lovers/super competitors gathered to test their mettle on the backwoods trails at Moraine State Park.

They came for the eighth annual Glacier Ridge Trail Ultramarathon, renewing old friendships, taking in the spectacular scenery and sharing the vibe of those with a rage to run.

“The ultra community is one of the best that you can possibly get as far as runners,” said attorney Vic Vouga, 60, of Harrisville. “Everyone's pulling for you to finish. Everybody has fun.

“It's a smaller community so you see a lot of the same people at races.”

An ultramarathon is any foot race that exceeds the standard running marathon distance of 26 miles, 385 yards. That would explain the smallness of the ultra community.

“The trail community is very unique, very supportive,” said David Murray of Portersville, a member of the race committee. “The people on the trail out here would help anybody and give anybody their food, their bottle, whatever,

“It really is a family community.”

The Glacier Ridge Trail Ultramarathon features four separate endurance races.

The shortest is a 30K. That's 18.6 miles for the metric system impaired.

There's also a 50K, or 31-mile race; a 50-miler; and a 50-mile five-person relay.

Sprinters aren't welcome.

It takes between hours and many hours for these runners to traverse and navigate the winding, hilly and muddy courses — naturally booby-trapped with rocks and tree roots.

On Saturday, there were 361 race entrants hailing from 16 states, including Texas and Colorado. The field also had a bit of an international flavor with 10 runners from Canada.

The youngest runner was 18; the oldest, 70-plus. Most of the participants were middle-aged or at least pushing that designation. The gender breakdown was fairly close with 40 percent of the field female.

“I love to be out on the trail,” said 47-year-old Joella Baker of Harmony. “I race to have fun.”

The founder and coach of the Get Fit Families Youth Triathlon team, Baker runs four or five triathlons a year. She also formed a running club at the YMCA in Cranberry Township.

She ran the 50K Saturday. It was her second GRT. She ran it four years ago.

“I enjoy the trail and the scenery. There's always something beautiful to see,” she said. “That's the joy of trail running.”

The GRT for ultras has become an ultra event.

“There's a lot of variety on the course that the runners can experience,” said race co-director Tammy McGaughey of Chicora. “There are different types of terrain and beautiful views of the lake.”

McGaughey and Murray know of what they speak. Both have run the GRT in years past.

It was the first time for Theresa Lyon, 54, of Manassas, Va., who made Saturday a family affair: she ran the 50K with her husband, Joseph, who turned 54 the day before, and their 22-year-old daughter.

A mother of three who spent nearly 12 years in the Marine Corps, Theresa guessed she's run 15 or so ultramarathons. She also ran the Boston Marathon last month.

Theresa, who grew up in Titusville, Crawford County, and happens to be David Murray's sister-in-law, proudly claims membership as an ultra.

“The ultramarathon community is a really neat group of people,” she said.

Ultras, according to Theresa's take, are more chill than competitive runners. When it comes to running, they would rather take a relaxed approach than dial up the intensity.

For most runners Saturday, it was about completing the race, not leading the pack.

“I'm out here for the challenge,” admitted Vouga, a repeat GRT participant who ran the 50K.

“I'm here to get ready for my second (ever) 100-miler,” said 59-year-old physician Michael Henderson of Holt, Mich., who ran the 50K. He plans to run the longer race in Illinois this fall.

Back spasms thwarted his first try in January at a 100-mile race in Arizona

“I did 96 (miles), but had to stop,” Henderson said. “It took me 32 hours.”

Jimmy McGlothin, a 39-year-old academic counselor from Pittsburgh, who did the 50K, had a simpler reason for running his second GRT.

“It's a stress relief,” he said. “I have two kids.”