Last month I traveled to Southeast Utah to attend the Moab 240 and learn about “angel pacing” and find someone engaged in this type of pacing. While hanging out at my first multi-day ultrarunning event, I was also introduced to the unique challenges 200-mile events provided competitors, race crews and organizers. After a very long… Read more »
Listening to trail running podcasts is a great way to keep up with the people, races and training advice inside the trail running community. These podcasts vary in style, length, and delivery, so I like to listen to a diverse assortment. Episodes can be as short as 15 minutes while others may last more than… Read more »
Earlier this month I traveled to the USATF Marathon Trail Championships hosted by the Moab Trail Marathon in the scenic canyon country of Southeast Utah. As a native Utahan, this event has holds a special place in my heart as Moab was my first ever trail marathon when I raced it back in 2015. Instead… Read more »
Trail races at the 200-mile distance are gaining attention in the ultra trail running community in the United States. Just as 100 mile races have surpassed the marathon as a bucket list accomplishment for long distance runners, the emergence of 200 mile races is pushing the boundaries of endurance for athletes, race directors and fans…. Read more »
Last month, professional mountain runner Kilian Jornet launched his Outdoor Friendly Pledge at the US Trail Running Conference over Zoom to an audience in Fayetteville, AR, and virtually around the United States. Kilian’s pledge is driven by his passion for preserving the environment and aims to inspire events, athletes, brand and federations to make commitments… Read more »
“Angel pacing” has been happening for years at races, and now that ultra running is becoming more popular, this term is catching on in the community lexicon. Angel pacing is the practice of offering oneself as a pacer to competitors during an ultramarathon. Angel pacers can greatly assist runners who are unable to organize their… Read more »
This past Saturday the 2020 US Trail Running Conference came to an end in Fayetteville, Arkansas. After three days of activities for event directors, the conferences annual “Trail Runner Day” included presentations and panel discussions to help trail runners learn more about the sport they love. The day began with a fun run on the… Read more »
Friday marked the last of three “race director days” at the 8th annual US Trail Running Conference in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The on stage and outdoor action continued with a group trail run, presentations, panel discussions, vendor fair and urban trail exploration on electric scooters. Once again, team members from the non-profit American Trail Running Association… Read more »
Thursday, October 22, marked the second day of the 8th annual US Trail Running Conference in Fayetteville, Arkansas, with a series of presentations, panel discussions and exhibitors for trail race directors. Several well-known presenters made virtual appearances including elite mountain trail runner Kilian Jornet and Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run event director Craig Thornley…. Read more »
Yesterday the 8th annual US Trail Running Conference got underway in Fayetteville, Arkansas with a Climate Action and Sustainability keynote address to an in-person and virtual audience of trail running fans. Taking place at the Fayetteville Town Center, this year’s conference debuted live-streaming of sessions, panel discussions and presentations. Located on the beautiful Downtown Square,… Read more »
The Golden Trail Series US Golden Ticket** winners have been announced and their positions secured for the Golden Trail Championship coming up October 29 to November 1 in the Azores, Portugal. Rachel Drake, Max King (pictured above), Kimber Mattox, David Sinclair and Bailey Kowalczyk are among ten elite American trail runners who earned spots through… Read more »
Due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on our society, many trail runners have found their 2020 race plans cancelled or drastically changed. Some of us have turned to virtual races or other challenges to satisfy our racing itch. Despite the lack of in-person racing, there have been many inspiring stories of trail runners… Read more »
The Boulder Skyline Traverse, a 16.9-mile trail running route that traverses several of the most iconic peaks on the skyline of Boulder, Colorado, has become one of the country’s most competitive FKTs (fastest known time) in the month of September. The route has 3,049 feet of vertical gain and includes a mix of technical and… Read more »
Earlier this month the Active at Altitude Fall Trail Running Camp was held in Estes Park, Colorado. This camp was six days focused on trail running, with expert coaching, interactive group trail runs, workshops on physiological training and mental training, floor or yoga session, video of running form, great food, camaraderie, and more. For newbies… Read more »
Earlier this month, the Kodiak Ultra Marathons, host of the North American Spartan Trail World Championships, was set to take place in Big Bear, California. Unfortunately, despite extensive planning to accommodate for COVID-19 guidelines, the race was cancelled due to severe fire danger. The San Bernardino National Forest officials revoked the race permits for the… Read more »
The first time I met Brittany Charboneau was in the summer of 2019 at a Peak Performance Running practice for youth athletes in Golden (Colorado). Both Charboneau and I were helping with the practice and we ended up having a conversation about trail running. She didn’t know much about the sport, but picked my brain… Read more »
Compared to the physical side of training, mental training is often overlooked. However, this training aspect is just as important to improving your performances at competitions and being the best runner you can be. Unfortunately, there can be a negative stigma surrounding mental training. Many runners think they only need to work on mental training… Read more »
Are you ready for part two of the Chaski Challenge? This past June, elite runners from around the world brought down eight treadmill world records in the virtual live broadcast Chaski Challenge “Festival of Records.” The event also featured a free mass-participation virtual race. This week ending September 13th, the Chaski Endurance Collective is launching… Read more »
This is the story of my return to competitive racing after a three-year hiatus. I haven’t had a race where I felt like I was running 100% normal since the 2017 World Long Distance Mountain Running Championships in Premana, Italy — that is until this past weekend at the Pikes Peak Marathon in Manitou Springs,… Read more »
During the current COVID-19 pandemic, it seems like more runners than ever are attempting FKTs (Fastest Known Times), Strava Segments or Challenges. One might even say it’s been the summer of “FKTs,” as we’ve seen many prominent FKT records challenged or broken including the Colorado’s Nolan’s 14, the Colorado Trail, Adirondack (New York) 46 High… Read more »
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