Cory receives support from his friend and pacer Jared at the finish line of Western States. Paul Nelson I made it to mile 99 of the Western States 100. I felt a sinking despair knowing I had traveled so...
Articles by Cory Reese
Cory and Matt Gunn at the Zion 100 finish line. Cory Reese Panic had set in. It was the middle of the night at the inaugural Zion 100 and the only thing we could see by the light of our headlamps...
Her toenails click-clack on the kitchen floor, sounding like a writer slaving away feverishly at a typewriter. She snorts in excitement. Her tail thumps against the wall until I guide her to the middle of the room. Th...
A few days ago, my friend Chris told me a story that was equal parts hilarious and captivating. Chris works as a teacher at a youth crisis center. Last January, he was shopping at Target, when he passed a discount bin...
My wife, Mel, and I have a tradition for our Sunday morning runs. We run to the gas station 5.5 miles away, buy a snack, sit out on the curb for a few minutes and then we run 5.5 miles back home. I always head straigh...
Looking at this year’s results of the Yeti 100 on Ultrasignup, you can get a snapshot of what transpired over the course of 100 miles. Patrick Reagan decimated the rest of the field, winning in 13 hours and 33 minutes...
I want to tell the grocery store cashier to stop being so judgmental. Even though she doesn’t say anything as she scans the groceries, I can see it in her eyes. I have exceeded the amount of high-fructose corn syrup that...
My manager walked toward my office and hesitantly stopped at the door when he saw me at my new standing desk. He got a puzzled look on his face like he was trying to solve a difficult math problem. “Wow, what made you de...
I pulled into the parking lot, an asphalt oasis surrounded by the scorching Arizona desert, and walked over to a line of people where I waited to check in and receive my bib number. Everyone around me looked confident an...
In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, I watched the news in terror. I saw the number of positive cases growing exponentially and after a few nights, it all became too much. I broke. I laid down in bed and felt hot...
I’ve got a fever. And the only prescription is More Cowbell. The More Cowbell Trail, to be exact. Southern Utah is a largely undiscovered mecca of trail running. Wide desert vistas. Rolling slick rock. Trails skirting th...
There is mounting evidence that ultramarathons are creeping into the realm of Hollywood. Ultrarunning’s influence on the silver screen is subtle, but if you know what you’re looking for, the evidence is unmistakable. As...
Upon finishing a 100-miler, we often receive a shiny new belt buckle. Now what? I concede that my approach to wearing belt buckles may be all wrong. For years, my personal philosophy has been that a belt buckle deserves...
In the enlightened words of the iconic philosopher Kelly Clarkson, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” I’m at least 81% certain Clarkson was referring to running an ultramarathon with your spouse. What I think sh...
Maybe it was peer pressure. Maybe it was sleep deprivation. Maybe it was the fact that Death Valley’s heat had cooked my brain like a piece of bacon on a skillet. It was probably a combination of all those things. But wh...
Last Annual Vol State 500k in 7 easy steps:1) Park your car at the finish line and board a bus with other runners.2) Drive the course in reverse to the start line.3) Run/walk/crawl 314 miles through the states of Missour...
The fuel that I used to use while running was pretty traditional like Tailwind, Mountain Dew and fruit. But that all changed when I began training for the Last Annual Vol State 500k. This 314-mile jaunt across Tennessee...
Sometimes life gets in the way of training. Sometimes there are family or work obligations. Sometimes it’s an injury. And then sometimes, it just boils down to the naughty “L” word. That’s right. Laziness. Your bed is ju...
On a March afternoon in Minnesota, the greatest event in running history took place on a modern-day Field of Dreams. Iconic races like Western States, the Boston Marathon and Badwater pale in comparison to this new quint...
Maybe my finish at the race had nothing to do with my dad dying. Then again, maybe my finish at the race had everything to do with my dad dying. I ran the Red Mountain 55k in southern Utah and when I reached the aid stat...