An exquisitely comfortable, buttery soft form-fitting wool base layer from Revellion, an artisanal wool company who produce top end products in low batches. This base layer is part of Revellion’s limited spring collection released in May 2017.
In an April 2009 issue of the magazine Runners World, there was an article titled “Flight of the Bumble Bee” where I was referenced in the story and deemed the “Patron Saint of Pacers.” I’d given some advice to a woman who I’d find out later was a columnist for the sports rag.
It’s not hard to draw upon those cherished memories of “firsts” – first kiss, first love or the birth of your first child. Endorphins likely flooded your system as the thrill and excitement of each moment became palatable. Now, forget all of those. In the sport of ultrarunning, there’s another set of firsts you’re likely to experience and want to forget (but won’t be able to), all for the desperate pursuit of capturing some more coveted endorphins. Here’s a list of few firsts that come with running an ultra, and how to take them in stride.
The Western States Endurance Run has released a “Drug Testing Policy and Protocols” document to all runners entered in this year’s event, with the purpose of conducting drug testing for the first time in the Run’s 44-year history on June 24-25, WSER President John Medinger announced today.
Records were set despite the cold, rainy and windy conditions
Towering rock walls and overhangs, 113-foot Yahoo Falls, at least a dozen water crossings, blooming wildflowers and the Yamacraw River were highlights of this third-annual race.
You never forget your first ultramarathon. On April 29, at 20 years old, I completed the 50-mile North Face Endurance Challenge in Washington D.C. It was by far the most humbling, mind-breaking, and physically challenging 11 hours and 54 minutes of my life.
The 116-mile race across Florida from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean was an exceptionally painful yet gratifying journey.
A combination compression garment and traditional shell shorts from Second Skin, a new performance apparel line from Dick’s Sporting Goods. They feature supportive and dynamic compression that allows full range of motion, but these shorts don’t cool or ventilate as effectively as most ultrarunners will like for extended efforts.
As Bend, Oregon sat under 37 inches of snow this past winter, Ryan Kaiser was at home putting in miles on the treadmill. He’s now convinced that low impact running helped him reach the highest level of fitness he’s ever seen. And it shows. With recent wins last month at the Tillamook Burn 50-mile and Gorge Waterfalls 50K, along with earning his golden ticket at Sean O’Brien 100K, he’s looking forward to heading back to Squaw for the big dance in June.
After leaving Cal 2 and reaching the river with what I thought might be food-poisoning-like nausea, something loud came barreling down the mountain through the understory – headed my direction.
Clare Gallagher and Brian Rusiecki have won the UltraRunning Race Series Overall Ranking for the 2016-2017. The Series applied a formula to score every ultra finisher at every ultra race in the 12 months ending April 30, 2017. Top scores for four races – one at each classic ultra distance – were added to tabulate every ultrarunner’s score. The talented and experienced Rusiecki and Gallagher took different paths to the top of the rankings.
This summer Brooks updates its popular PureGrit series, which combines natural biomechanics with protective features to help you push the pace. The PureGrit 6 features an extensive redesign of the upper, and maintains the underfoot structure that proved successful on the previous version.
We’re all trying our best in life. We set personal goals, we work, we have careers and we care for others. It’s ok if we don’t reach perfection in every little bit of everything.
This past weekend marked the final week of racing for the 2016-2017 UltraRunning Race Series. So far this season, results for over 1,300 North American ultras have been posted and scoring for 53,294 runners have been calculated.
I’m in the beautiful Wicklow Mountains running my first ultra, the 51k Maurice Mullins Ultra. How did I end up here, middle-aged and in the middle of the mountains? I was inspired.
Umstead is the perfect race for a visually impaired beginning 100-mile runner.
In this edition of Quick & Dirty, I chat with Hayden Hawks, who recently shaved more than a half hour off the Zion Traverse FKT. Hawks completed the 48-mile crossing of Zion National Park in 6:50:49, beating the previous record of 7:22:08, held by Mike Foote and Justin Yates.
If you’re an ultramarathoner, chances are that you started with a marathon. An informal survey of ultarunning friends reveals that most of them did at least one marathon before moving up to ultras. Going 26 miles seems to be a sure-fire path to becoming an ultrarunner.
Earlier this month, numerous elite ultrarunners including Alex Varner, brothers Jacob and Tommy Puzey, Stephanie Howe Violett, and winner of…
There would be no easy miles on this day, not with temperatures in the upper 30s and around 70 percent of the course covered in snow, ice or slush.
Maybe a setback every now and then makes one humble and helps us appreciate the unique gift that every day has to offer.
One inevitable side effect of ramping up your training load is the development of increasingly persistent aches and soreness in your key muscle groups. We’ve tested a few massage devices this spring, each of which has a slightly different method of application, but all have a similar purpose of working your problem areas before they become limitations.
My proudest accomplishment of 2016 was completing the Kansas Grand Slam of ultrarunning, which requires completion of four (from among five) 100-mile races in Kansas.
After finishing the first loop and “climbing” one ten-foot hill, I could tell that this race lived up to its description: the fastest trail in Texas trail running.
Urban running on asphalt and concrete can be a beautiful and joyous experience. You just have to be a little careful out there.
After missing last year’s Gorge Waterfalls 100K due to injury, I wasn’t about to let a little weather stand in my way this time. But in the back of my head, a phrase I’d heard over social media continued to echo over and over, “The Gorge has teeth.”
A unisex pullover midlayer garment made of Polartec Power Grid fabric that wicks moisture and provides a strong combination of insulation and ventilation.
For this edition of Quick & Dirty, I chatted with John Kelly, the fifteenth ever finisher of the Barkley Marathons. To match the massive undertaking that is a Barkley finish, this chat is a bit longer than typical for the column, but Kelly’s approach and insight are fascinating.
