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UltraRunning Magazine would like to congratulate Rebecca Joyner for being selected to receive UR’s sponsored entry ticket for the 2023 Western States Endurance Run Rebecca’s Entry In 2020, I got …

Ultras remind me that the world is such a big and welcoming place, which was the case for Marshall and Heather Ulrich’s inaugural Route 66 Ultrarun. The race consisted of 140 miles across the longest remaining unbroken stretch of Route 66, from Seligman, AZ, to Topock, AZ, finishing at Topock66 on the Colorado River.

Arguably, there’s no more dynamic of an event to test shoe choices than at North America’s oldest ultramarathon, the 60-year-old JFK 50-Miler, held just outside the nation’s capital in western Maryland each November. The course starts and ends on pavement, has a roughly 12-mile section of technical Appalachian Trail and 26 miles of fine crushed gravel, which can all be made more complicated by unpredictable fall weather.

The Western States lottery process, while frustrating at times, has set a defined goal for me every year and has had a positive impact on my life and my running. It has granted me the opportunity to run amazing races that I likely would never have signed up for, helped create lasting memories and new relationships, pushed me forward each year and led to a few decent results that I’ll always be proud of.

The Mesa Trail II is a minimalist shoe that includes design features to stabilize the foot and keep a good surface connection with trail due to an aggressive lug pattern. Many will find this model to be a fast, lightweight option for runners who prefer a little more protection but would still prefer to be “barefoot” on the trail.

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