Articles by Amy Clark

Keep Doing What You're Doing

“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...

The Only Option

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...

50 Years of Research

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...

Why We Run on Trails

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 Ready

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...

A Better Version

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...

Choose Wisely

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...

New Year, New Challenge

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...

The Future of Ultrarunning

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...

Who Are You Running With?

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...

New Adventures

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...

Safety First, Please.

“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...

The Power of the Struggle

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...

Generations of Ultrarunners

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...

Hagg Lake

Pacific Northwest winters are historically wet, cold and cloudy. Located west of Portland near the foothills of the Tillamook State Forest, Henry Hagg Lake is an ideal location to not only experience prime Pacific Nor...

Returning to the Trail

After returning to the Hagg Lake 50K for the fourth time, I started to ask myself why I keep going back to this February race nestled in the northwest corner of Oregon, year after year. Is it because of my fellow runne...

Do It for the Ultra Moments

Whether they’re good or bad, we all have our favorite ultra moments. Remember that painful bliss after crossing the finish line of your first ultra? Or the disappointment and heartache of your first DNF? Maybe it was...

The Return of UROY

After the first-ever hiatus in the 41-year history of the magazine, awards for UltraRunners of the Year (UROY) have returned. Even though 2021 stumbled to a rough start, larger races like Black Canyon Ultras produced...

From All of Us, Thank You.

UltraRunning was originally created for ultrarunners, by ultrarunners. Over 40 years later, it remains exactly that – inspired by you, our readers. The survey we conducted in September included over 1,000 subscribers and...

I Love you, Man

Relationships need to be nurtured. That’s never been more apparent. After being separated from so many over the past year, I decided to pack a lot of running into the fall months, and the one thing I’ve come to realize i...