Features

We hadn’t attended the Western States lottery in a few years and I was not expecting the spectacle that was ahead of us that morning in the packed auditorium at …

Winter running jackets present an eternal challenge for clothing designers. The primary objective is to balance two competing needs: enough insulation to keep you warm in frigid conditions, but enough …

Our love for trail running is in our genes. Our bodies evolved to make us the best endurance runners on Earth, to share cooked meals, and to be outside in …

The calendar was my first running “tool.” When I began seriously training, a simple wall calendar provided a handy place to record what I had done. These days, the old …

What determines an epic race? This year’s Avalon 50 Benefit Run possessed elements to be remembered, e.g., mud, sweat and tears. The newly added 50k option had its share of …

It’s 4:00 a.m. The coffee is hot. The boys are ready to rock. For some of us, The North Face Endurance Challenge California 50 mile marks their first exploration into …

The TomTom Spark 3 is an updated GPS from TomTom’s general fitness category that has extensive crossover appeal to runners – in fact, the feature set of the Spark 3 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

I set out to define myself – who I am and who I aim to be. The company I now keep is a collective group of people all striving to …

Rarely in ultrarunning do you see the word “phenom” used to describe the sport’s best runners. But in 2016 the sport was taken over by the phenomenal record-smashing performances of …

At age 30 Lickteig reached the pinnacle of the sport with a dominating win at the Western States 100- posting the third fastest time in the venerable event’s 40+ year …

In a typical year, the Hungerford Trail Races offer uniquely challenging terrain. You won’t find ten thousand feet of climb. You won’t find rocks, or roots – at least not …

Black Diamond makes a big hit by going small. The Ion is the company’s smallest, lightest and most compact fully functional headlamp that runs on AAA batteries. The Iota is …

Veteran ultrarunner Brian Rusiecki wrapped up another rock-solid year of running with a win at the Hellgate 100K in Fincastle, VA in 11:01:26. The man has been a stalwart of …

Plain is an unmarked, no aid-station race that provides runners the additional challenge of having to be totally self-sufficient. The event is held on established, well-marked trails in the Okanagan …

It’s our mental strength that tells us to push harder and go farther past anything that we ever conceived imaginable

Over the last several years, the Desert Solstice 24 Hour and 100 Mile has seen a number of superhuman performances—among the most impressive feats of ultra endurance in the country …

As he stepped to the starting line of the Door County Fall 50 October 22, Chase Nowak was confident he could win the 11th annual race on Wisconsin’s Door Peninsula. …

A super-lightweight and compact water filtration system that allows you to pull water from natural sources for refueling in the backcountry. The BeFree meets filtration standards of systems that are …

This October, this area of Montana broke most known records for monthly precipitation. For the runners of this year’s Le Grizz 50 Mile Ultramarathon, it felt like a good majority …

At the end of the year, most of us back off training and allow for a little downtime and reflection, plus, family commitments are especially time consuming (and fun) during …

As the sun rose over the Moab Desert, Dead Horse Ultra runners were already well into their race. Mother Nature had left a light dusting of snow atop the mountains …

My dropping from Brazos Bend 100 resulted in a silver lining I could never have imagined: on November 30 I was asked to crew Caroline Boller during her 50 Mile …

The wooded hills of Connecticut offer many miles of gorgeous trail systems – some easy, some tough single-track with plenty of rocks, roots and climbs.

Anyone who has traveled into the Grand Canyon understands the great immensity of what they have entered into. You don’t really go into the canyon, it swallows you whole.

I hadn’t trained much that spring in preparation for the 2010 Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run. I had spent more time sitting in a chair next to a hospice bed …

by Randy Zuniga Mile 96.6 of the Mountain Lakes 100. As I came up onto the last aid station – my hiking sticks clinking against rocks – I had one …

Charlie Sabatini has been running the roads and trails in Rochester, New York for over 63 years. He is so in tune with what has gone on around him that …