My dad retired in his late fifties and has been having the time of his life for the past few decades. He turns 85 this year and is still doing his thing – playing tennis, hunting all sorts of birds and doing real yard wo...

Dear Ann, I have always had difficulty peaking at the right time. For example, I would start training January 1 for WS100 (last Saturday in June) and quickly build up to 100-mile weeks. I would find myself peaking in Ap...

Last December, I teamed up with GU’s Sports Nutritionist, Roxanne Vogel, to climb the highest volcano in the world. Located in Chile, Ojos del Salado peaks out at 22,615 feet. The summit project was conducted under GU’s...

Being competitive, driven and hardworking are admirable, and one could even argue, desirable traits in a long-distance runner. Set the bar high and you’ll often put in the work to achieve those lofty goals – be they a ne...

Probiotics are a hot topic when it comes to gut health, and runners know that a well-functioning and happy stomach can either make or break a successful race or training session. While an upset digestive tract is no fun...

If you spend any amount of time talking about ultrarunning nutrition, you are almost certain to hear the term “fat adapted.” The general idea is that a “fat adapted” athlete will be very efficient at burning fat and thus...

Over the last few years, the term Beast Coast has popped up to describe East Coast trail running. Some runners have even sported Beast Coast temporary tattoos to show their pride in where they live and train. Being a tra...

Arrogance is an odd creature, is it not? Arrogance seems to be the sickness that insidiously creeps in when everything is going well, yet disappears when everything is going horribly. While most negative attributes of ou...

Forget everything you have heard about a positive attitude. What every ultrarunner needs to be successful is a healthy dose of pessimism. Optimism is a weakness; a flaw in our personality that our subconscious exploits t...

You’ve done the physical work. You have put in the vertical, put in the miles, put in the time and yet come race day it can all come undone by a lack of energy or other nutrition issue. Race day nutrition can be complex,...

If you’re like me, you’ll probably head out on your long run this weekend thinking something like, “Alright, I’m going to use this run to practice for my next ultra. I’ll imitate key aspects of my next event like hydrati...

None of us would ever admit this out loud, but we like our inspirational heroes to be soft and mild. If they’ve faced a high level of adversity – which over the past three years, Dave Mackey certainly has – we expect the...

When I got Running Rewired by Jay Dicharry in the mail, my first reaction was to sigh and think “wow, another book that will tell me how I can become a better runner.” As I halfheartedly flicked through the pages, I soon...

Two distinct trends are evident in this spring’s crop of hydration vests. First is a movement toward minimalism using lightweight construction and stripping down superfluous features to improve comfort and increase speed...

After falling in love with a man who shirks labels and simply states there is a darkness that at moments is all consuming, I have learned more profoundly than through all my years working in mental health the heartbreaki...

The desire of humans to consume foods that aid performance is not a new phenomenon. Ancient Greek athletes were known to eat figs and other nutrient-dense fruits, olives, seeds and nuts and a particular concoction compos...

Let me tell you what isn’t an effective ultramarathon fueling strategy: chili dogs. Two gigantic chili dogs. Considering that a theme of this issue is race fueling, noting what fuels don’t work is at least as important a...

A woman contacted me in early January seeking advice for her first 50k in April. She had already registered for it and brimmed with excitement about going the distance and crossing the finish. She had about 14 weeks to t...

The Orcas Island 100-mile race in the San Juan Islands of Washington is beautiful. The forest is lush with moss and fallen trees and trails roll and climb to outlooks of the bay dotted with islands. The race has the gras...

Most RDs dread having their event canceled in advance due to weather, stolen supplies, permit problems or other logistical issues. Even worse is when they must stop the event in progress due to dangerous conditions. Howe...

I’ve been dreaming of a spot at Western States for a while now. Last year, I mentioned that to my coaches, Sage and Sandi, and the first thing they told me is that my best bet would be to get a Golden Ticket. Lucky for m...

I joined the ultrarunning community when I ran the Hennepin 50 last fall. I was on cloud nine for weeks after that. My next goal was to get in a long run during the winter months. I wanted to experience more so I said, “...

If you’re searching for a trail race during any season in Kansas, there’s a good chance you’ll stumble across a few hosted by the Lawrence Trail Hawks. This tight-knit running group – wielding the motto “kindness to life...

“Even Hurricane Harvey can’t stop Rocky Raccoon!” That was the line I put on the top of the Tejas Trails website a few months ago. That was after a pretty scary hurricane and 30-plus inches of rain left Huntsville Sta...

Many of us suburbanites probably got into trail and ultrarunning as an escape from, well, living in the suburbs (right?). Within the Washington, DC metro area, a really great network of trails permits many of us to do ju...

A day of unseasonably warm weather that started with temperatures in the mid-60s with 100% humidity and then turned to 85 degrees plu, in the afternoon contributed to the destruction of the entire field. Ninety-three run...

On February 10 the Tarawera ultramarathons celebrated their 10th anniversary and continued their growth. Tarawera continued its growth as a global bucket list destination ultra event for North Americans, and why not? New...