Local runner shares journey in ‘Moab’

By David Mullen

When we last ran into local ultra marathoner Daniel Flores last, he had conquered the grueling Leadville Trail 100 Run, called the “Race Across the Sky,” where a select group of long-distance runners attack the 100 miles of extreme Rocky Mountain terrain and high altitudes. Flores made a short film about his adventure. 

In October 2024, Flores slayed the beast — the Moab 240 Endurance Run — and recorded the story of his road revelation. His one-hour documentary film, “Moab — 240 miles in the Desert,” directed by Ramon Morales, debuts on Friday, May 2 at 7 p.m., at the Texas Theater, 231 Jefferson Blvd. The film is also slated for festivals in Austin and San Antonio in the summer.

The Moab 240 — beginning and ending in Moab, Utah — is considered one of the world’s toughest ultra-marathons. Less than 200 elite runners are allowed to participate. The 239.66-mile course in Moab is one single loop through the mountains, canyons and deserts surrounded by Canyonlands and Arches National Park. The race must be completed in 117 hours. 

Runners hit the trails around the clock, wearing lamps attached to caps at night. The total elevation gain and loss is 31,564 feet.

In creating “Moab — 240 miles in the Desert,” Flores said, “The whole process was documented from the training to the race.” 

Flores begins his training “process” about six months before participating in the ultra-marathon.

“I break it down into strength training and running,” Flores said, “and build gradually until race day. Monday through Friday, I’m typically running at the Katy Trail, doing 6 to 8 miles. I do my long runs at White Rock Lake. It builds up gradually when you start a training plan. Lower mileage [initially] and then you start building up to 70 to 100 miles a week when you get closer to the race.”

Flores is an early morning runner. “Waking up is usually at about 5 a.m.,” Flores said, “and then I start running at 5:30 a.m., usually for about an hour. That’s just the first part of the workout.” Most afternoons, usually between 5 to 6 p.m., Flores does one hour of weightlifting.

“When I’m working and doing these races, I’ve got to stay consistent,” Flores said. I like running in the morning and lifting in the afternoon.” Sandwiched in between his training schedule, Flores is a technology consultant. During his runs, he tries to filter out typical workday pressures. “I try to forget about work,” Flores said. He prefers to run alone.

Training for Moab 240 and running in the actual event are as different as orbiting around the flat surface trails of White Rock Lake and climbing Utah’s Shay Mountain at the 114-mile mark. 

“If you think about Moab, that’s 240 miles in total,” Flores said, “but the way to get through it is to think about the next aid station.” The Moad 240 has 15 aid stations along the course with hot food, medical and other services.

“They have an aid station about every 26 to 30 miles,” Flores said, “which means that you get to refuel, get more water and you get more food. The way I see this, as I’m running, the whole objective is to get to the next aid station. Instead of thinking about the 240 miles, I break it down into different parts.” 

The aid stations provide the essentials that Flores needs for his backpack. The medical services at the aid stations have also become paramount.

“I pretty much use the medical tent every time I would go to one because I have to check my feet. Your feet are just helping you get through it,” Flores recalled. “A bunch of sand gets inside your shoes and your socks and your feet start bleeding. You start getting blisters, so they have to cut some of the skin there [at the aid station]. I just put Band-Aids on and keep going.”

While Flores did not encounter snakes during the October Moab 240, he did see plenty of bears. He could be seen running up steep stretches of the race with ski poles. A team of 10 people, primarily from Dallas, worked with Flores and recorded the brutal run.

“One of the cool things about doing races at these places [Moab] is when you’re in the desert or you’re up in the mountains, the views are nice. Being out there is way different from training. When it gets difficult, you start to tap into more about why you’re doing this. You start to think about just life in general, like life lessons. You’re spending so much time by yourself, it’s very introspective. I like being able to tap into myself.”

Born in Mexico City, Flores moved to Dallas when he was 10 years old. Flores did not begin to take up running until four years ago when he set the Leadville Trail 100 run in his sights. He lives by the personal mission “to push myself to see how far I can take it and then use that as a way to also inspire others to push themselves more.”

After overcoming the challenge at Moab, producing a film and sharing his ultra-marathon experiences, Flores has some words of wisdom. “I think [running ultra-marathons] is a combination of art and science. In order to get to certain goals, you have to follow the plan and be very disciplined. For me, I like that it has helped a lot by staying consistent. Achieving a goal is tied to the work and to having some structure.”

As the film reflects, Flores did not look at the exhausting Moab 240 course as the challenger. “It is you versus you.”