Articles by Gary Cantrell

Gary Cantrell writes the “View From the Open Road” column. Gary has written for UltraRunning more or less continuously since his column “From the South” first appeared in Volume 1, Number 1 back in May of 1981. He is perhaps most well-known as the founder of the Barkley, a trail race in eastern Tennessee. (Although some would comment that it isn’t really a race, and others would add that those aren’t really trails.) He is also the founder of the Strolling Jim 40 Mile and periodically organizes a 314-mile run across Tennessee, the Vol State Road Race. He is currently the race director of the Backyard Ultra. In the real world he works as an accountant.

Backyard Ultra

When we think of ultramarathons, we typically think of one of two different formats; races of fixed distance, and races of fixed time. Big’s Backyard has an altogether different format. The race is held on a 4.16667-mile...

Out of Warranty: Tips for Running 'til You're 100

It seems that everyone wants to run ultras until they are 100; or if not 100, then at least well into their 90s. The vision, naturally, is a vigorous, healthy old age. The truth is, very few runners put together a runnin...