CRANBERRY TWP— Seven years ago, Robb Fort had no interest in running.

Never a competitive athlete, the 41-year-old Cranberry Township resident joined a fitness center in an effort to lose a few pounds.

"I just wanted to feel a little better," he said. "The company I work for runs the health and wellness center and offers a huge employee discount there.

"I lost 20 pounds and reached a plateau in terms of losing weight through diet and exercise. My trainer (LeeAnne Davison) told me the next way to burn calories was to run. I had no desire to run."

Davison talked him into it and Fort dropped another 20 pounds.

"I started out jogging a mile, then walking a mile, and was totally out of breath after that jog. That's how out of shape I was,"Fort said.

Now 5-feet-9, 200 pounds, the Minnesota native was up to running two consecutive miles when Davison received applications for the Run Like Hell 5K in Pittsburgh, which benefits the fight against cystic fibrosis.

Fort thought Davison questioned if he could run 3.1 miles when she pondered aloud if he was ready.

"In actuality, she was encouraging me to do it," he said. "Ithought she doubted I could. Anyway, I took it as a challenge."

Now 48, Fort has run numerous 5K and 10K races, along with marathons in New Orleans, Tampa, Fla., San Francisco, Duluth, Minn., and Kentucky.

On Sept. 22, he ran his first ultramarathon, a 50-mile race that winds through mountain roads known as the Tussey Mountainback, near State College.

Fort completed the course in 11 hours, 26 minutes. His goal was to finish in fewer than 12 hours.

"My first goal was to finish the race, period," he said. "Finishing a race like that is an accomplishment in itself.

"If you finish in less than 12 hours, you get a medal. That was my second goal."

Fort attempted an ultramarathon in August, but the temperature was 88 degrees. He fell ill and dropped out of the race after 21 miles.

He ran a 50K race — 31 miles — in Maryland last March.

"Then I read a magazine article in Runners World where the author said a 'real' ultramarathon has to be 50 miles,"Fort said. "I got mad and decided I had to complete a 'real' ultramarathon.

"After I got sick, my trainer told me to either wait until next year to try again or find another one relatively soon, since I was already trained. That's when I found the race in State College."

The Tussey Mountain event began in 2000 with 15 relay teams and one ultrarunner. The race attracts runners from all over the country now, as the course also serves as the venue for the USATrack and Field 50-Mile National Championships.

This year's race featured 80 ultrarunners and more than 60 relay teams.

Fort said he got hooked on road racing the day he ran that first 5K in Pittsburgh.

"You go from working out on a treadmill to getting a number plastered on your back, competing with other runners, a crowd cheering. ... I loved it," he said.

Chris Gibson, a renowned ultramarathon runner who Fort met while doing volunteer work for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Team in Training program, convinced him to try an ultramarathon.

"We got to talking and I told him my body wasn't tired after my third marathon,"Fort said. "He suggested I give it a try.

"Marathon running is a serious sport. It's very challenging and you can die if you're not smart about it. When someone with his experience suggests I try it, I was going to try it."

He plans to try another ultramarathon next year, whether it's Tussey Mountain or elsewhere.

"I went from 27 percent body fat to 18 percent," Fort said. "That's the number that tells me I'm heathy. And it's been fun getting there."