Tag: From the Editor

A Better Version

Watching Bob Dylan’s 2011 Grammy performance on YouTube led me to a discovery: the song “Maggie’s Farm” was not, in fact, written by the band Rage Against the Machine. After years of listening to Dylan songs, reading boo...

Choose Wisely

How do you choose your races? Is your preference to stay local or adventure abroad? Is mountainous terrain a deal-breaker or the preferred venue when it comes to running on trails? Maybe your preference is a...

New Year, New Challenge

On New Year’s Day I met with an old high school classmate for a beer. He recently made the difficult decision to leave our hometown of Bend, Oregon, for a new position in Salem—just a couple of hours west—where we bot...

The Future of Ultrarunning

As 2022 comes to a close, it’s time to reflect on a year that’s now in the rearview mirror. As editor, I’m always looking back, while trying to look ahead and forecast what’s on the horizon. And after spending a weekend...

New Adventures

Trail races that are sub-ultra distances have an important place in our sport. Ultrarunners sign up for “ultra” distances (mileage over 26.2), and most will also admit that they sign up for shorter races on the regular—f...

Safety First, Please.

“Mountains, please.” This phrase adorns the windows of many vehicles in the growing mountain town I call home. But that particular word combination has never settled well with me. Maybe it’s because I’m too literal an...

The Power of the Struggle

What makes the finish line of an ultramarathon so incredible? Ask any race director and they’ll probably tell you that everyone’s finish, from the victorious winners to the very last runners, pulls at the heartstrings wh...

Generations of Ultrarunners

Age is a funny thing. When we’re young, we want to be old and when we’re old, we look back and wish we were young again. It’s a paradox, no doubt. But as ultrarunners, it seems that no matter how old we are, while we...

Returning to the Trail

After returning to the Hagg Lake 50K for the fourth time, I started to ask myself why I keep going back to this February race nestled in the northwest corner of Oregon, year after year. Is it because of my fellow runne...

Do It for the Ultra Moments

Whether they’re good or bad, we all have our favorite ultra moments. Remember that painful bliss after crossing the finish line of your first ultra? Or the disappointment and heartache of your first DNF? Maybe it was...

From All of Us, Thank You.

UltraRunning was originally created for ultrarunners, by ultrarunners. Over 40 years later, it remains exactly that – inspired by you, our readers. The survey we conducted in September included over 1,000 subscribers and...

I Love you, Man

Relationships need to be nurtured. That’s never been more apparent. After being separated from so many over the past year, I decided to pack a lot of running into the fall months, and the one thing I’ve come to realize i...

The Values of Ultrarunning

UltraRunning Magazine reports the overall number of ultra finishes each February in our annual UltraRunners of the Year (UROY) issue. Due to last year’s drop in participation because of race cancellations, we had very li...

Lessons from Lifers

This year’s return of Western States brought familiar faces, both young and old, to the iconic course on the last weekend in June. A few were running, some were volunteering, and many came to spectate at a race that hold...

There's a Feeling in the Air

Maybe it’s the apprehension of the start line or the exhilaration of the finish line. Or maybe, it’s the heartwarming feeling of reuniting with the ultrarunning community. But there’s definitely a feeling...

We’ll Keep Showing Up

The very first issue of UR was published this month back in 1981. The cover was printed in black and white and featured the TAC (The Athletic Congress) 50K champ from 1980, Bill DeVoe, running the Knickerbocker 60K in...

Year of Opportunity

With a full year of race cancellations, COVID infections, restrictions and lockdowns moving ever so slowly into the rearview mirror, it’s hard to reflect on the past and not see a future full of opportunities. The...

Don’t F*ck It Up

Jumping up to the famed buckle distance can be daunting for anyone. Despite the famous words of Karl “Speedgoat” Meltzer, 100 miles is actually pretty far and for most of us, takes a lot of time to finish. But to do s...

Familiar Stories

On my first day as UR editor, I received the following email: “Welcome to the job, from the first editor. What a great 10 years of my life getting UR started! IBM Selectric typewriter. Film cameras, struggling for a c...

Make Glimmers Happen

As ultrarunners, we live for planning. Lotteries. Race calendars. Training plans. Sound familiar? Normally, this is the time when we’d be planning for the year ahead. Yes, things have changed. The anticipation of race...