Features

There are many things about ultrarunning that are hard to describe, and even harder to understand. The Spartathlon, a 153-mile race from Athens to Sparta, is one of them.

Why am I out there six days a week, usually before 4 a.m., making myself uncomfortable? Why do I and millions of other people willingly subject ourselves to it?

This is the story of how our running club developed a comprehensive trail work program that we call TrailFit. Each year we clear brush on 25 miles of trail, remove …

“Timp” is the nickname Utah locals use for Mount Timpanogos, the second highest mountain in the Wasatch Range, with an iconic trail climbing to the 11,752 foot summit. Altra founder …

You’re not supposed to look good after you run a hundred miles. Didn’t matter. It was still the worst race finish photo I had ever taken, yet it was the …

For those not inclined to venture into a six-hour, mid-July run in suburban St. Louis, the race’s name is a sufficient deterrent to participation. However, devout masochists take the tone …

The Trail Verbier St. Bernard is a series of trail races in the mountains surrounding Verbier, Switzerland. The X-Alpine race at 110 kilometers is the longest race with the Grand …

An 85-kilometer, point-to-point race in the remote mountains near Westport, New Zealand. The race’s entire 53 miles are run on a brand new trail called the Old Ghost Road, its …

Performance fabric meets trucker couture in the Patagonia Bandito, which is an evolution of the company’s original Long Haul shirt from a few years ago.

When I signed up for the Eagle Up Ultra in Canal Fulton, Ohio, it was for the sole purpose of earning a belt buckle. The course was newbie friendly, a …

Many comparisons have been made to modern-day ultrarunners and the Pioneers who crossed the continent in covered wagons back in the 1840s and 1850s. The Pioneers risked everything and took …

A spacious and versatile crew or travel bag with durable construction and thoughtful compartmentalization. It can be carried as a duffel bag, but does not have dedicated straps for this …

I stood at the finish line of my first half marathon, confused. I was surrounded by people who had somehow found a singular, defining experience that morning. Was this why …

Among the many alternative cross training and recovery methods out there, I’ve found the one true, revitalizing cure-all: the steam room.

Mild temperatures and a gentle breeze in Central Pennsylvania’s Moshannon State Forest ushered in the daylight at Mid-State Regional Airport for the fifth annual Allegheny Front Trail Run.

Let’s face it, ultrarunning is a really difficult activity. It requires a huge time and lifestyle commitment. But many people are attracted, like moths to flame, to the opportunity to …

I first ran the Peterson Ridge Rumble 40-Mile two years ago – my first ultra. This year the race was a 65th birthday present to myself.

When I first found out I was pregnant, I googled “running while pregnant” and was disappointed in the lack of information out there. There was information about Olympic athletes and information …

A gentle “angelic” loop around the valley floor gives you a chance to adjust to the altitude, enjoy the pine forest and valley meadows, and picturesque mountain cabins and ski …

Running your first ultramarathon is a great commitment to make to yourself. It’ll hurt you in ways that you didn’t know running could hurt you and it will force mental …

The back of the pack runners come straggling in to Wyeth Campground. Thirty-one miles is a tough distance no matter what day it is, even if running sixty-two is your …

On April 8, 2017, 83 Midwesterners came together to run one of Iowa’s few ultras. The Hawkeye 50K starts in Solon and sends runners on two laps around the man-made …

The only woman to have finished the California Triple Crown of ultrarunning.

A humorous look at apps that are not really available to ultrarunners – but that should be.

It gets confusing to tell the difference between being exhausted from training/racing and being tired due to illness. But it takes just a few hours to get it checked it …

It all started when I was a teenager. I would see people out “going for a jog” and it looked so carefree and enjoyable. I wanted to be able to do …

This run in Nicaragua takes you over two volcanos while traveling around the island of Ometepe completing tasks that imitate daily local Nicaraguan life. It forces you to adapt to …

With each passing year, it’s a race we know we shouldn’t be running. But often, against our better judgment, knowing full well the runner we were last year, or 10 …

This was my first attempt at running 50 miles. I had run a couple 50ks but the San Francisco 50 Mile Endurance Run was incomparable to anything I had raced …

We have officially revived this old-school race, established in 1991, and are quietly, in an unknown corner of the ultrarunning world, building something great.