Articles

A small company based out of ultra-endurance mecca Flagstaff, Arizona has emerged with a new product that has professional athletes and weekend warriors ordering batches of this new all-natural anti-chafe salve that has been said to work miracles.

Ancient Oaks, founded by the late Stu Gleman, represents all things end-of-year and holiday to me. It’s a time to reflect over all that the year has been—and what better way to do that than to run around a 3.45-mile loop 29 times?

There’s nothing like the nostalgia of pulling out an old race t-shirt. And the smell. Soon, it earns a permanent spot, tucked away in a drawer never to be worn again. With a new year ahead, it’s a perfect time to re-evaluate gear for the upcoming year. What needs to be replaced, and what investments should be made for the upcoming race season? What worked well? What didn’t?

We have listed the top graded performances for each commonly run ultra distance. These rankings are determined by using the Comparative Difficulty Ratios developed by Gary Wang at RealEndurance.com.

Each year a few races attract a large number of elite runners. In this analysis, we have examined the races in which those who received votes for Runner of the Year competed. Giving the runners of the year 40 points, the runners-up 39 points, and so on, we have devised a system for determining which races had the most competitive fields.

We’ve all been heartbroken in love and on the trails. In order to protect ourselves from more heartbreak, we play it safe. We don’t embrace the sweet complexity of the other person; we don’t dance down the technical trails. But what if we did? What if we went for it? It could be a disaster, right? Or it could be a sweet success.