Many comparisons have been made to modern-day ultrarunners and the Pioneers who crossed the continent in covered wagons back in the 1840s and 1850s. The Pioneers risked everything and took on a massively arduous 2,000-mi...

Dear Ann, You’ve been a force to reckon with in the ultrarunning community and a huge inspiration to me while preparing to go for distances beyond the 42 km/26.2 miles. What’s one tip, that isn’t diet or training r...

Last month we discussed how to improve your mental toughness. However, ideally only a portion of a run will require that grit, whether it’s the end of a speed session or a rough patch in a race. We also want to find a wa...

One question I get asked a lot by folks in my local running community here in Vancouver, BC, is how I went from a semi-reasonable but not exceptional runner, to a runner who has competed and placed well at several big ul...

Yep. The title says it all: Preventing Runner’s Trots. This subject is very common among ultrarunners and very uncomfortable to discuss. Runner’s trots is when one has an urgent need to go to the bathroom while running....

Rules; who likes ’em? Nobody. Who needs ’em? Everybody. Running ultras is supposed to be fun. The last thing we want to deal with is having a bunch of rules to worry about. Unfortunately, ultrarunning is practiced...

The Western States 100-mile run is the latest high profile ultra to recently adopt a zero-tolerance policy against runners who have previously tested positive for performance enhancing drugs. Moving forward, they will no...

A theme in this issue of UltraRunning is young ultrarunners, so I’ve drafted a letter I wish I could have read at age 22. I’m not yet a full-on old guy, but as an experienced athlete who now cares as much about coaching...

Do you keep a running log? A lot of people do, noting a few details about their daily runs. But I am unsure how many runners keep a journal. When I say “journal” I mean more than just the recording of the time and distan...

Trekking poles offer several benefits to long distance runners (see sidebar), particularly over extremely hilly or rugged terrain. The catch is making sure the benefit of the poles exceeds the additional weight and logis...

Do not stress about what is ahead and learn from what is behind. That is one of the most poignant lessons that I have learned in the hours that I have spent on the trail. This lesson can be applied to racing, training, s...

There’s no question that a new crop of runners is emerging on the ultramarathoning scene, a fresh breed with wicked leg speed and laser focus. If you puruse the race results of ultramarathons across the country it’s not...

I’d like to think that the characteristics needed to run ultramarathons can translate to other areas of everyday life. The attributes of determination and perseverance are important to finish a race, and I was able to ap...

Front-runner Jim Walmsley, his lean body strip-mined of all excess after six months of incredibly focused training, and already on course record pace, transitioned from the snow at 8,200 feet to the dirt single track lea...

The first week of June in Shenandoah County, Virginia, by proclamation, was Endurance Run Week and the 39th running of the Old Dominion 100 Mile Endurance Run was held in cooler than normal conditions. A smaller race by...

Word is out among ultrarunners: Pennsylvania has one of the best trail-running scenes in the country, and on the first weekend of June, Worlds End State Park is the place to be. Deep in the rugged heart of the Endless Mo...

I’m sorry but I can’t stop myself unleashing a recap of the inaugural Napa Valley 50K. It was epic. Truly in my view the mother of all ultra-routes. I had no idea what these trails would be like as I’d never run in this...

The Wings for Life World Run is a unique global event in which runners start simultaneously on 25 different courses around the world. Given a 30-minute head start before “catcher cars” which eventually overtake and “elim...

Race day arrived and as predicted the McDonald Forest mud was not in short supply. Heavy rains Thursday and Friday along with intermittent downpours on race day made the course challenging. Jeff Mogavero from Klamath...

Many races in California and Nevada this spring could relate to the challenges facing the 32nd annual Silver State 50/50 Endurance Runs, held on May 20 in Reno, Nevada. A record-setting northern Nevada winter battered Si...

Long distance running was never something I thought I could do mentally or physically. While I ran a few 5k and 10k races over the years, I never had the urge to go for more than that – until 2013 when my wife convinced...

Just eight miles into the 106-mile Cruel Jewel 100, runners pass the White Oak Stomp aid station and encounter the longest unbroken segment of the race, a 7.6-mile stretch of the Duncan Ridge Trail known as the Dragon’s...

Majell Backhausen and I were chatting over coffees – specifically, flat whites, in local style – at a small shop in Wanaka, New Zealand. It was February, and I had been traveling around New Zealand after the Tarawera 102...