Back before my body broke down and I could still run marathons, I used to say that if you can run a 5-kilometer race, you can run a half marathon. If you can run a half marathon, you can run a full marathon.

I made it seem easy, when a marathon — or even a 5K — is anything but easy.

Well, Wes Plate takes that to another level. He makes an ultra-marathon seem like a piece of cake.

Plate is a native of Marysville, Washington, and he has deep roots in the Mining City. This June, he is directing the first official Copper Kings 100. That is a 100-mile race that will start at the Belmont Mine and include a giant loop around the Mining City.

Plate, the founder of the race and the designer of the course, said he started the race in an effort to pay tribute to his family roots in Butte.

He also makes it seem like anybody can run it. After all, he said ultra-marathoners often hike about 20 percent of a race. That leaves just 80 miles of running before the cutoff time of 40 hours.

Yes, JUST 80 miles of running.

Wes and some friends actually ran this race the past two summers. It wasn’t an official race, though, because they didn’t have permits. As we learn in this podcast, they call that a “fat ass.” That means it was free of charge, there are no large groups, and no manned aid stations.

This year, the race will officially be official. It will start at 4 a.m. on June 27, and the cutoff time to finish will be at 8 p.m. on June 28. The race includes 63 miles on the Continental Divide Trail. It will include an aid station next to the Our Lady of The Rockies statue.

The race is limited to the first 100 runners who sign up. As of Wednesday, Wes said about 65 people have registered, so you better hurry if you are planning to run the original, non-fat ass, Copper Kings 100.

Go to CopperKings100.com to register to run. You can also visit the website to sign up to be a volunteer. The event will need about 100 volunteers to pull off the race that will definitely be a boon for our local economy and something really cool to see and be a part of.

I will not be running or hiking the race because I wore out my hips and lower back running those marathons. But it will certainly be entertaining to watch as 100 people take that 100-mile run around the Holey City. Ten years ago, I just might have tried it myself.

Today’s podcast is presented by Thriftway Super Stops. Download the TLC app and start saving today.