Winter has arrived – time to break out the hand warmers so you’re able to keep your fingers crossed that the lotteries treat you kindly. With a new year on the horizon, it’s a perfect time to start thinking about which r...
Dec 2019 / Jan 2020
Features
Dear Ann,I always seem to train better when I have a really good friend to run with. Did you have any running buddies that helped you during your running career?—TerryDear Terry,Ultrarunning certainly is not about the lo...
Speak to any runner and you’ll quickly see how our sense of self is wrapped up in the sport. This is most visible when we can’t run, especially during an injury or when we simply can’t find the time to fit in a few miles...
Running is a decidedly simple sport. You don’t need a team, opponent or a lot of gear. It’s seemingly the perfect sport for the miserly – until you start ultrarunning. The costs of ultrarunning can easily pile up faster...
Winter months are a conundrum for athletes. I know this as a coach because an inevitable pattern emerges each and every year as the temperatures plummet. In late November, the holidays take hold. With nothing immediately...
Love them or hate them, treadmills are an excellent training tool and can be a lifesaver in winter. I’m impressed if you continue running outside when the temperature is hovering around zero – that’s dedication for sure....
Busy. It’s one of the most used four letter words in describing all the things in life you either can’t or don’t make time for. It is also one of the most used words in describing all the reasons you either miss a run or...
There’s an old saying that goes, “There’s no bad weather, only bad gear.” Well, I’m here to tell you that saying is wrong. There is bad weather, and often times it’s in the winter when the temperature is minus 20 degrees...
As ultrarunners, most of the time we are worried about hot weather rather than extremely cold weather – and for good reason. Thermoregulation of body temperature in warmer weather is problematic. While running, about 75-...
Years ago, someone once told me that “snowshoeing made the winter bearable.” I would go farther than that and say snowshoeing makes the winter fun. I actually think it’s the secret training weapon of those ultrarunners w...
You’ve probably considered the potential benefits of winter cross training in sports like snowshoeing, skimo (a.k.a. Randonee, ski touring, AT/alpine touring, ski mountaineering, skinning) and Nordic skiing (which includ...
You have to feel sorry for the ultrarunners of my generation. We came into the sport when the concentration was about one ultrarunner to every 100 square miles. And that was in the hotbeds. There were no books, magazines...
When you get old, you lose things. From your dreams of youth to the passing of friends you haven’t seen in decades, each day you grow older can be a gentle or a stark reminder of what you once were. As I stood on the sta...
The sense of accomplishment and satisfaction upon completing your first 100-mile endurance run is very special. It’s usually the culmination of months or years of training, and preparation to conquer challenges that most...
Our editorial team has been busy testing a wide range of gear from Santa’s workshop to bring you these special gift ideas for your favorite ultrarunner this holiday season.https://ultrarunning.com/grit/One of our favorit...
I’ll be turning 74 this year, and I’ve been running competitively for 57 of them. That’s a long time. I’ve competed at distances from 440 yards (high school) to 100 miles (last year at the Hennepin Hundred). I love runni...
In the enlightened words of the iconic philosopher Kelly Clarkson, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” I’m at least 81% certain Clarkson was referring to running an ultramarathon with your spouse. What I think sh...
Winter brings cooler temperatures and shorter days. As the seasons shift, running outdoors becomes more of a production. Layers must be added and headlamps charged. Some runners move into the gym for their training while...
I looked at the tall barbedwire fence that blocked the route and thought, “Is this a joke?” I was running past midnight in southern Utah during the 53-mile portion of the week-long Grand to Grand Ultra, a self-supported...
If you’re an endless summer runner at heart – one whom can’t help but secretly cringe at crisp fall color because you know it means a dark, cold and potentially wet blanket is about to suffocate your ambition – take sola...
Age: 44Where do you live currently? In the Alps – Chamonix, FranceWhere did you grow up? Australia, but I’m also half British and lived in the UK for 17 years.Occupation: Author, motivational speaker, runner, adventurerF...
Feature Races
When I received an invitation to be a part of the crew and pacing team of my friend Sam, I gladly accepted. Sam is also my PT and was about to embark on his first Superior 100-mile adventure. He had worked hard to get to...
I never liked running. It was doled out as punishment in football practice.And with my inequitable, unenviable leg-to-torso ratio and big-boned build, my gait had been compared to that of a stunted Bigfoot.But in my late...
From the moment my feet hit the sand at the start of the Secret Beach 100K, I knew I was embarking on something special. Runners filed onto the beach an hour before dawn, a sea of headlamps piercing the morning fog with...
Race Reports
The ultrarunning gods shined down on Harvey once again, as spectacular weather greeted the runners lined up for the 2019 Run Rabbit Run 50 and 100-mile Endurance Runs presented by Altra. By the time the Hares took off at...
The ultrarunning gods shined down on Harvey once again, as spectacular weather greeted the runners lined up for the 2019 Run Rabbit Run 50 and 100-mile Endurance Runs presented by Altra. By the time the Hares took off at...
Not only did I (finally!) finish a 100-miler, I fell in love with a race. Falling in love can’t be entered into lightly, which is why it took me more than 300k steps to decide that this was it – the real thing.Is there s...
The White Trail Support Group is: “A place for runners personally victimized by the White Trail at Clinton Lake to heal and share their harrowing stories of survival.”Have you been traumatized by the rocks, roots, switch...

Run Rabbit Run 100 winner, Kyle Pietari, runs ahead of Mark Hammond at mile 16 while tackling Fish Creek Falls near Steamboat Springs, CO. Photo: Paul Nelson.