In 1994, 53 runners finished the inaugural Afton Trail Run 50K while 82 finished the 25k race for a total of 135 finishers. Fast forward 24 years, a field limit of 900 runners and yet another Minnesota trail/ultra race t...
Articles by John Storkamp
This year marked the 23rd running of the Afton 50K. In 1994, the first year that the race was held, we had thirty-nine 50k finishers, and only one of them was under the age of 30. This year, we had 209 finishers, with 33...
Early frosts and below-average winter snow depths that lead to crunchy dry trail conditions were supposed to be this year’s headline, until “hot” weather and runners stole the show. “Hot” in the North only means high 70s...
Most ultrarunners are trying to scratch an itch they didn't even know they had, or at least don't fully understand. We’ve all run a good number of races, but the ones that really stick with us are those that come with ad...
The Superior 100 Mile Trail Race has been aptly described as the “Superbowl of Midwest ultrarunning.” The point-to-point 100-mile trail race is paired with two of the most challenging and scenic 50-mile and 26.2-mile tra...
Folk hero Zorro is an agile athlete and acrobat. Although he is a master swordsman and marksman, he has more than once demonstrated his prowess in unarmed combat against multiple opponents. His calculating nature and dex...
Ever been to Arizona? I spend time there each year with family and get out daily to run with local friends. I have learned that they have two types of weather down there; warm and dry or hot and dry. I have to admit, I l...
The month of March has one simple job—to come "in like a lion" and go "out like a lamb." The past couple of years it had started to seem like the lion ate Little Bo Peep, leaving April's Zumbro Endurance Run condemned to...