Drew Dinan

I’ve tried just about every gel, chew, waffle, bar and electrolyte drink on the market. But if I had to choose one, and only one, running fuel out of everything I’ve tried, it would no doubt be a PayDay bar.

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.

There is a lot of time to think during ultramarathons. And that place can get dark when we’re sore, exhausted or simply not having the day we envisioned. For me, I realized the best way to keep the doubts from creeping in was to think about the things most important in my life off the trails, rather than stressing too much about what was happening on them.

Do I want to train for another ultramarathon? Is it worth it? Are there better things I could be doing with my time? These are questions I’ve wrestled with lately.

There is a wealth of information on ultrarunning nutrition, what to eat in training and how to consume calories during your race. But not a lot is mentioned about how to practice eating in a way that simulates a race environment and introduces your body to the stresses you’ll be experiencing. Here are a few ways to practice nutrition during training to better prep your gut for race day.

I seem to have battled race week supervillains the Sleep Monster, the evil duo of Captain Anxiety & Dr. Doubt and the always annoying Sargent Stale Legs since I first started running. No matter what I’ve tried, they always keep coming back. But this race week is going to be different. This week, I have a plan to get rid of these menacing forces for good.

To all the race volunteers—thank you for the encouragement when I wanted to give up. Thank you for staying up all night in the cold, cooking quesadillas and keeping the fire going. Thank you for baking in the hot sun while filling my ice bandana. Thank you for spending your weekend helping me—a runner, a stranger.

Last weekend I was reminded that there is still a long way to go in the fight for gender equality in our sport. On Saturday, I passed one of you in a race. You had your head down and were walking. You did not look good. When I stopped to ask if you were injured or needed help, the first words out of your mouth were, “I was doing okay until a woman passed me.” Come again?

There is no shame in a DNF. No one wants to enter a race and not finish, but sometimes bailing out is unavoidable. Regardless of your skill level, there is no guarantee that any ultramarathon will go smoothly. But if you give it your best you have nothing to be ashamed of, even if you must pull the plug before your goal has been reached.

Last April, I almost saw my abs. Back then, I was training hard and was as fit as I had ever been. The transition from winter to spring can be difficult when it comes to training for ultras. But this year presents even more challenges. It’s time to break out of my running funk and get back to training. Here are five ways to do so.

The beauty of ultrarunning is that there is no prerequisite. You can start at any stage in life. To participate, you simply need some drive and determination. Talent helps, but it is not required to join, nor do you need it to be accepted. The community is open to all shapes, colors, backgrounds and paces. You can be an accountant or a former Olympian. We all line up and finish at the same place.

I wonder what this hill looks like through my three-year-old’s eyes. I have run it probably a hundred times and to be honest, it is not even that steep. But to my son, it is “Mount Everest.” He says so as he struggles up the snow-covered trail, each tiny step unstable and unsure, yet determined.

I am sealed inside my home—a prisoner to the hazardous air that has choked Oregon for over a week. The state is on fire. This year is a reminder that life is too short not to dive in headfirst after your goals. All we have is right now.

I lasted one quarter at Ohio University. During this time, I learned which liquor stores would accept my fake ID and which bars served freshmen. Everything else is a bit fuzzy. I do, however, recall something my professor said on the one day I actually attended my Introduction to Economics class—because he used beer and pizza as his example.

My path to ultrarunning has taught me an important lesson—we’re all stronger and more capable than we often realize. Things can seem overwhelming right now, but as every ultrarunner has heard before, “Just put one foot in front of the other.”

In these crazy times it’s important to just do you—whether that’s running 5ks on the roads or 50-milers in the mountains. I’m a long way away from being in ultramarathon endurance shape. But that’s okay because I’m enjoying what I’m doing, and you should be too.

Many of us have spent countless hours training for races in order to earn the memories of accomplishment that come with achieving our running goals. Now is a great time to reflect back on those great memories and be grateful for all the little things we often take for granted. Don’t let them slip away just because we aren’t currently racing.

Right now it looks like I’m going to be doing a lot of running alone. Races are being cancelled. Training groups are being cancelled. And even my favorite pub runs are being cancelled. Those days will come again, though—hopefully real soon. But right now, I’m going to be running alone and that’s okay.

My wife and I recently returned from a much needed, kid-free weekend in Las Vegas. On my previous visits to the desert I had been an overweight, out-of-shape, cigarette smoking model of unhealthiness. This time, I was a runner.

We all face villains in both life and running, and we all have those climatic moments when it would be easier to quit than to keep moving forward. But we all have the ability to be heroes if we work hard, believe in ourselves and help out others along the way. So in 2020, be sure to write your own story and help someone else write theirs.

I would never have seen my cousins if I had slept in on those mornings in North Carolina instead of going for a run. And who knows, I may have gone the rest of my life without getting the chance to meet both of my cousins’ children since we all live on opposite sides of the country.

IMTUF stands for Idaho Mountain Trail Ultra Festival. The “TUF” is synonymous for the race’s difficulty and challenging mountainous terrain, the runners who tackle the race, and more accurately, the volunteers, like Vicki Trees, who unselfishly dedicate their time and energy, regardless of conditions or circumstances, to help others achieve their goals.

For my wife’s 40th birthday, she wanted to do something special that fit our ideal travel criteria. It had to involve mountains and hiking, be affordable, have good food and drink, and offer a little adventure. We decided on Romania.

I am excited to cheer on my wife at her first ultra, just as she has done for me at many of my races. We have had to adopt a strategy that allows us both to work, run and raise a toddler at the same time.

As the father of a two-year-old, I spend multiple days at home trying to balance work and training while also taking care of a tiny human. Here are a few creative exercises I have developed that allow me to incorporate my child into training, while also getting some quality time together.

Social running apps like Strava provide tremendous benefits for runners, but especially ultrarunners. When it comes to finding specific information about trails, race courses and training data, the app has a plethora of details. Here are some ways to help you get the most out of Strava and allow you to meet new friends along the way.

As the population continues to grow and people turn towards more active and healthier lifestyles, it’s only natural that trails are going to attract more people. We need to lead by example by continuing to volunteer. Let’s work together to build, restore and maintain our public lands and trails—for our own enjoyment, and future generations to come.

Running, by itself, is a solitary act but everything that comes with it is best shared with friends.

One of the many reasons I love the sport of ultrarunning is that it provides never-ending opportunities for learning—not just training strategies or what diet works best, but also about what drives us to run ridiculously long distances and put the hard work in to make it possible.

The Ultrarunner’s Beer & Run Pairing Guide aims to provide runners with the perfect beers to enjoy after a run. Countless years of “research” went into creating this guide. All pairing suggestions are based solely on the taste buds of the author and only include beers that are relatively easy-to-find in regional craft beer stores and that the author has personally sampled.