The moments when top runners “break the tape” at the world’s largest trail races are often the media’s primary focus, yet these moments are not where the magic really happens. Any race champion will agree, the real magic happens behind the scenes in an athlete’s daily trading grind. The day-to-day moments in life that fuel… Read more »
Montana’s iconic trail race, The Rut Mountain Runs, is taking action to make its events more inclusive in 2022. Race director and ultrarunning legend, Mike Foote, has partnered with Inclusive Outdoors Project, an organization that aims to provide equal access to the outdoors for everyone. The organization states its mission: “At Inclusive Outdoors we know… Read more »
At just 19 years old, Texas-based race director Briston Rains has successfully completed his first full year of race directing. In 2021, Rains founded his own race directing company, Texas Outlaw Running Company, which included six races across Texas. Rain’s race series included a variety of distances and race styles including a half marathon, marathon,… Read more »
Saturday, April, 16, 2022 kicks off the eleventh edition of the Born to Run Ultra Running Extravaganza, a four-day trail running festival, held in Los Olivos, CA. This year’s event will include a new race, Born To Adapt, the first-ever adaptive athlete specific trail race. It will be a three-hour race on a 5-kilometer trail… Read more »
New Year’s resolutions often bring a renewed commitment to training plans, but not all training plans are created equal. Organized training plans can be a great way to establish race goals and improve running performance, but there are also a few common “pitfalls” to be aware of when amping up your training routine. In this… Read more »
“Pure living. That’s what fishing all comes down to for me, and it’s what keeps me going back every year to spend eight weeks on a 32-foot aluminum drift net boat with no toilet, shower, or access to land. Something about being out on the water with one focus, one goal, and no outside news… Read more »
Traction devices are essential accessories for many trail runners during chilly winter months. Icy and snowy conditions often make it difficult to run on trails without slipping or falling, even when wearing shoes with grippy tread. Traction devices, which come in a variety of forms such as removable or built-in cleats, metal studs or screws,… Read more »
As the American Trail Running Association’s (ATRA) designated “Trail Trotter,” I have had many wonderful experiences in 2021 traveling to events and connecting further with people doing amazing things in our trail running community. In spite of ongoing challenges related to the coronavirus pandemic, the trail running community has become closer, stronger and more resilient… Read more »
This holiday season is a wonderful time to reflect on all that we have to be grateful for as trail runners. We have opportunities to run on beautiful trails in all different environments from forests to deserts and mountains to city parks. We all share a simple connection to the natural world that only requires… Read more »
Trail running contains many stories of perseverance, bravery, and adventure which make it one of the most exciting and scenic sports to watch and follow as a fan. There have been many great achievements in our sport’s history, legendary athletes, and unforgettable races that have shaped trail running into what it is today creating a… Read more »
This past weekend October 30 and 31, the 2021 Spartan Trail US Championships were held in Trail Town Fayetteville, Arkansas in the lush the Ozark National Forest. Since its inception in 2018, Spartan Trail, the dedicated trail running branch of the larger Obstacle Course Racing (OCR) Spartan corporation, has organized many large, high-energy and well-funded… Read more »
On October 16, Italian Francesco Puppi won the 2021 Golden Trail World Series (GTWS) Grand Final hosted by THE ONE RACE in El Hierro, Canary Islands, Spain. In the lead-up to the Grand Final race, the Golden Trail World Series included six of the world’s most competitive trail races, L’Olla de Nuria (Spain), Mont Blanc… Read more »
“200s” Are NOT About Speed Annie Hughes, up-and-coming ultra running star from Leadville, Colorado, is 120 miles into a 240 mile race across the isolated and harsh desert environment of Moab, Utah. It’s the middle of the night, temperatures are dropping into the forties and she’s fighting off sleep deprivation. She plans to take quick… Read more »
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) consultant Patti Flynn is working to create an inclusive space for the transgender community in trail running. In 2020, Flynn wrote a transgender policy for the TransRockies Run six day stage race. The goal of this policy is to inspire increased participation by transgender runners in the TransRockies Run and… Read more »
“Make the impossible possible, the possible easy, the easy elegant.” -Moshé Pinchas Feldenkrais This past Saturday Elevated Retreats Co. hosted their first “Feldenkrais-running retreat” in the scenic mountain town of Salida, Colorado. Feldenkrais is a form of exercise therapy that uses awareness of body movements to improve physical and mental function. This one day event… Read more »
Proper course marking is one of a race director’s most important tasks and is essential for putting on a safe and successful trail race. Trail races can be more challenging to mark than road or cross country events because they are often staged in large parks, forest, or mountainous areas with trail systems with complex… Read more »
Last Sunday, August 29, concluded a week of trail running action at the 2021 Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB) races held in Chamonix, France. UTMB week includes an alphabet soup of trail races of different distances, including the YCC (4, 8 & 15 km), MCC (40 km), OCC (56 km), CCC (101 km), TDS (145 km),… Read more »
The Under Armour TransRockies Run is back in 2021 to deliver one of the best and most epic trail running adventures in North America. Now in its ninth year, this unique six-day trail running stage race was held last week in the rugged backcountry of the Colorado Rockies and offered runners incredible mountain views, well-organized… Read more »
Zachary Friedley is a true inspiration as he creates opportunities for adaptive athletes in the trail running community. Adaptive athletes, or athletes with physical disabilities who compete in competitive or recreational sports, are an underrepresented group who face challenges participating in trail running races. Friedley, an adaptive athlete born missing his leg above the knee,… Read more »
Just a few weeks after “The Big Dance” of American ultra-trail running competitions — The Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run — we catch up with top-ten finisher Alex Nichols who reflects on his race experience. Nichols, an accomplished trail runner sponsored by Scott Running, placed second at this event in 2017 and went into the… Read more »
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