Runners endure their fair share of nerves and anxiety when it comes to competition. As a female runner, I’ve endured my fair share of harassment and discouragement, as well. From being called names in seventh grade becau...
Features
When life or health issues get in the way, one of the hardest choices runners must make is whether or not to run a race. Sometimes it’s for logistical reasons that are out of your control, such as starting a new job or t...
Women make up an equal share (or more) of sub-ultra race finishers, but they are under-represented in the ultra world. One of the reasons is lack of time to train due to the demands of parenting. Of course, family obliga...
We need more women in ultrarunning. Currently, there is a gender gap across all aspects of the sport. Females are under-represented in race fields, as ambassadors, as race directors, in trail and ultrarunning media (kudo...
While I have my own thoughts on gender and its impact in ultrarunning, they are based on personal experiences. So, a short online survey seemed like the best way to see the bigger picture. Thank you to the 1,040 of you w...
The sport of ultrarunning is pretty cool for many reasons. For me, people are at the top of that list. I’ve met amazing people and made great friends over my almost two decades of running ultras. Here are stories about t...
Physiologically, there are a lot of differences between men and women. For instance, there are differences in body composition and the ways they fatigue, and there are many potential explanations for performance differen...
There has been a lot of discussion recently regarding the wide categorization of gender in ultrarunning. Conversations, policies and debates have centered around male versus female topics including where transgender athl...
When you line up at your next ultra, you can take comfort in the fact that you are already likely in the top half of all the entrants. Between the opening of entry and the final field stepping to the line, about half the...
He lived in Leadville during that long-ago summer of 2009, out of the back of his white Chevy S-10 pickup, which he affectionately called, “The Roost.”Anton Krupicka was focused on a simple task: run faster than anyone h...
The Loowit Trail circumnavigates Mount St. Helens and is roughly 31 miles with 7,000 feet of elevation gain on very technical terrain. The Volcanic 50 is a race that goes around the mountain and starts in a different loc...
HOKA EVO Mafate 2MSRP: $17010.3 oz M / 8.9 oz FHeel/forefoot (mm): 33/29 M, 31/27 FBest for: High mileage training and long-distance racing on all terrainOur favorite “ready for anything” shoe this season was worn at bot...
On stage, John Wicks is seated behind his drum kit setting the rhythm for energetic, yet soulful songs of his band, Fitz and the Tantrums. Off stage, Wicks’ energy is present and familiar, with his bright smile and signa...
Last Annual Vol State 500k in 7 easy steps:1) Park your car at the finish line and board a bus with other runners.2) Drive the course in reverse to the start line.3) Run/walk/crawl 314 miles through the states of Missour...
As an ultramarathoner, I’m always open to new challenges. One of our closest endurance brethren is cycling and I’ve done a few “ultra” cycling events, such as a century bike ride, a double century and even a 24-hour moun...
While packing for an upcoming ultra, I’m swapping my regular hydration pack for a 24-liter pack that’s a bit roomier and will enable self-sufficiency. It looks like a daypack and makes me wonder how on earth I’ll fit eve...
Age: 13Where do you live currently? Santa Barbara, CaliforniaWhere did you grow up? Santa BarbaraOccupation: 8th grade studentFamily (parents, siblings, pets)? My dad Mike, mom Gabriella, my big brother Nicholas, and big...
Feature Races
Tom Mitchell, 52, started the Bigfoot 200 Endurance Run three consecutive times, but something was always preventing the Virginia resident from finishing the point-to-point race through the Cascade Mountains in Washingto...
The Ten Junk Miles podcast barreled into the race directing scene in August with their inaugural Badger Trail Race which consisted of: The Badger 100/100K, Stewart Tunnel 50/50k and Muskie Marathon/Mini Muskie. The races...
On the morning of July 26, with the sunrise just beginning to touch the summits of the Sawatch, 125 runners milled around at the starting line of the third edition of the High Lonesome 100. One hundred miles of difficult...
Zach Bitter, age 33, arrived at the Pettit Center in Milwaukee on Friday, August 23, 2019 – a day before the start of Six Days in the Dome. He planned to run a 100-mile split in hopes of attaining a goal he’d held for si...
Race Reports
Survival isn’t just about toughness or desire, it also involves planning, patience, humility, critical decision-making, strong relationships and resilience. Make no mistake about it, the Angeles Crest 100 is equal parts...
Colorado runners came and conquered at the 2019 Tahoe Rim Trail Endurance Runs. Chris Price of Ouray, CO, and Madison Hart of Gunnison, CO, both ran savvy races to win in 19:56:09 and 23:18:06, respectively. Runners were...
It’s only two hills. Anyone who has experienced White River 50 gets the joke. If you’ve run it more than once, you may recall laughing the first time you heard this, and the subsequent times you might be looking around t...
It was two days before Thanksgiving in 2018 when my brother, Christian, called to tell me that he was registering for a 100-mile race. “You could join me,” he said, “if you want to.” Always excitable and impulsive, I reg...
October 2019

Zach Bitter finishes his final lap at Six Days in the Dome, setting the 100-mile World Record in 11:19. Photo: Jeff Genova