The recent historic achievements by Jasmin Paris at the Barkley Marathons and the epic NCAA women’s championship basketball game between South Carolina and Iowa have inspired me—both as a woman and as a runner. We’re see...
Articles by Amy Clark
Inspiration must come from the heart. Watching an athlete’s emotional struggle as well as understanding their physical hardship is what connects us as humans. We need to feel it. While the sport of ultrarunning is full o...
Early spring training feels a bit like waking up from a long nap. We’re focused on getting in the miles and workouts each week, but our goal race still seems so far away. The monotony of long miles and training week aft...
In 2023, the sport of ultrarunning saw historic records fall and limits that were pushed incredibly far–further than we‘ve likely ever witnessed before. But we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention all of the amazing achievem...
Axel Kabundji Ben Gibbard is no stranger to training for ultras. With multiple 100-mile finishes under his belt and a long list of ultrarunning accolades, he’s well-versed in the sport. However, as...
My daughter is an avid fan of the mega pop star Taylor Swift. Her most devoted fans are more commonly defined as “Swifties” and continue to support her sold-out shows around the globe. I’ve enjoyed watching her dive into...
“This is the best community in the world.” These were the words of John Trent right before the start of the Western States Endurance Run in 2019. The ultrarunning community has often been the subject of this column over...
In 2020, when we experienced a pandemic that kept us distanced from other people—loved ones and strangers alike—we made do with video technology apps like FaceTime and Zoom. However, as restrictions were lifted, it be...
As an award-winning sports journalist and 11-time finisher of Western States, John Trent has built an arsenal of memories, facts and statistics about the storied race. So when planning began for the 50-year celebratio...
My running partner and I have been using the trails as a way to connect for nearly a decade. We’ve bonded over dirt, week after week, pounding out miles while discussing the complexities of human nature, supporting on...
Adventure running can inspire FKTs (fastest know times), traveling to remote trails or pairing running with other sports. Fortunately, much of ultra and trail running is already what many consider an “adventure,” and...
Watching Bob Dylan’s 2011 Grammy performance on YouTube led me to a discovery: the song “Maggie’s Farm” was not, in fact, written by the band Rage Against the Machine. After years of listening to Dylan songs, reading boo...
How do you choose your races? Is your preference to stay local or adventure abroad? Is mountainous terrain a deal-breaker or the preferred venue when it comes to running on trails? Maybe your preference is a...
On New Year’s Day I met with an old high school classmate for a beer. He recently made the difficult decision to leave our hometown of Bend, Oregon, for a new position in Salem—just a couple of hours west—where we bot...
As 2022 comes to a close, it’s time to reflect on a year that’s now in the rearview mirror. As editor, I’m always looking back, while trying to look ahead and forecast what’s on the horizon. And after spending a weekend...
I recently jumped into a 50k as a training race for an upcoming event. Looking through the entrant’s list, my heart skipped a beat as I recognized a familiar name: Luanne Park. Luanne’s name came on my rad...
Trail races that are sub-ultra distances have an important place in our sport. Ultrarunners sign up for “ultra” distances (mileage over 26.2), and most will also admit that they sign up for shorter races on the regular—f...
“Mountains, please.” This phrase adorns the windows of many vehicles in the growing mountain town I call home. But that particular word combination has never settled well with me. Maybe it’s because I’m too literal an...
What makes the finish line of an ultramarathon so incredible? Ask any race director and they’ll probably tell you that everyone’s finish, from the victorious winners to the very last runners, pulls at the heartstrings wh...
Age is a funny thing. When we’re young, we want to be old and when we’re old, we look back and wish we were young again. It’s a paradox, no doubt. But as ultrarunners, it seems that no matter how old we are, while we...