It’s the perennial question for ultrarunners: “Why in the world do you want to run so far?” The question is usually meant rhetorically, as if it is self-evident that no reward could justify such pain and suffering. The a...
Articles by Gary Dudney
About two hours into the Maah Daah Hey Trail 100, I paused to take stock. Since the race began, we’d been riding roller coaster, twisting single track through the classic badlands terrain of western North Dakota, surroun...
There is a dynamic that runs through an ultrarunning career: the process of searching for the perfect clothes, equipment, food/drink and other products to use for racing. This includes things like ideal running shoes, ju...
The most remarkable thing about our sport is the sheer distance we cover during an ultra event. Yet it doesn’t take much ultrarunning experience to realize that your focus during a race is almost never on the entire dist...
I follow a few basic rules in running that have served me well over the years. One of my rules is: don’t think about it. It’s a rule I follow each day, right when I’m about to make that decision whether to run or not. I’...
I’m going to go a little grim here. Everything about your first 100-mile race is going to be over-the-top, out-sized and epic compared to the shorter ultras you’ve done. The sheer distance, the time it takes, the highs a...
The Prairie Spirit Trail Ultra 100 Mile in eastern Kansas is a rails-to-trails course that follows an old route of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad through the small town of Garnett. A brick depot building, bui...
24 Hours of Adrenalin was a popular mountain bike race that consisted of riding a technical course all day and night until 24 hours had elapsed. I’ll never forget a biker grinding to a halt near the timing table in the m...
Welcome to the wilds of central Idaho. Race director Jeremy Humphrey doesn’t sugarcoat his remarks at the race orientation. “Every big animal you’re scared of will be out there,” he said, “bears, cougars, wolves and snak...
Granted, we’re not all dressing up in Starfleet uniforms or going gaga over Spock lookalikes at Star Trek conventions, but I think all ultrarunners are Trekkies in a deeper sense. We embrace the starship Enterprise’s mis...
A thick mist hangs in the air above Chagrin River Road. It is very early and still dark as we pass through an idyllic pastoral farmscape of stone walls, duck ponds, rail fences, shade trees and brown horses. The hundred...
The first time you run an ultra you’re probably going to get a whole new perspective on what it means to suffer. Getting way out beyond your training at speeds and distances and numbers of hours you’ve never experienced...
Don’t let race day be a negative experience for you. Concerns about how well you will perform and worries about not meeting the goals you’ve set will detract from enjoying the race experience and can actually undermine y...
It doesn’t matter which distance you pick, the 100-mile, the 50-mile, or the 27-mile “fun run,” at the Lake Martin Trail Races. You’ll use the Russell Forest Trail System on Lake Martin in east central Alabama near Alexa...
Once I realized I could make it to the finish line of a 100-mile race, my first impulse was to do all the big, classic hundred mile runs. I put in for Western States over and over again, ran Leadville, Superior, Angeles...
When you first signed up to be an ultrarunner, you know, at your local ultrarunning recruitment center at the mall, I hope you paid attention to the fine print on the contract. It said in no uncertain terms, “You are now...
A surprise email arrived the Wednesday before the Saturday start of the 19th Cascade Crest Classic 100 held in the heart of the Central Cascades area of Washington State. Bad news: The Jolly Mountain fire was threatening...
Many runners have picked up on the close connection between running and mindfulness. When you practice mindfulness, you get a definite reduction in your levels of stress and anxiety. You also feel a lift in your self-est...
Talk about a race that showcases a particular area of the country and its running community…and you’re talking about the Burning River 100/50 Mile in Northeast Ohio in the Cleveland, Akron and Cuyahoga Falls area. The...
A well-marked course is a prerequisite for staging a successful ultra. It’s something runners have a right to expect when they pony up their registration fees. It’s also a safety issue. You don’t want runners overnightin...