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 five mile loop on a flat tow path and had nice swag like a headlamp.

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.

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.

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 chalets. The “fire” comes when you begin the 18.5-mile out and back over the top of the ski resort and down the other side, topping out at about 11,000 feet where you feel like the sun is microwaving your exposed skin.

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 goal, and these runners have endured thirty-one rocky, rooty, sloppy, and gorgeous trail miles in the Columbia River Gorge.

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 Lake MacBride.

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 before.

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.

Vashon Ultra is an island gem smack in the middle of the Seattle-metro area but you would never know it as it’s a small community and is organized by some of the friendliest folks!

Never had I experienced a landscape like that of the Zion 100-Mile. The race takes place adjacent to Zion National Park, through the dry valley floor and up onto giant mesas dwarfing runners with their enormity.

New hip + no spleen + slightly less pancreas = 25th annual Bull Run Run 50-Mile start

It was a tough day out at the Rockin’ K races. The storm dumped a lot of water on the area, making for wet and slippery running—and cold, miserable conditions for the volunteers. A year to remember for sure!

As I approach the start/finish area to begin my second loop, a surge of peace and strength washes over me. I am energized to step into the unknown world of miles 31-62.

Holiday Lake 50k is a great race for a first ultra. There were over 40 runners making their ultra-debut at the race this year.

Records fall and microbrew flows.

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.

Umstead is the perfect race for a visually impaired beginning 100-mile runner.

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.

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.

On March 25, 2017, we hosted 57 runners at Big Spring Picnic Area, in far western Perry County, Pennsylvania, to run the Harrisburg Area Road Runners’ Club’s Tuscarora Trails Ultra 50K.

Just fully completed in 2016, the 68 mile long Backbone Trail in the Santa Monica Mountains of Southern California’s Golden coast has been designated a National Recreational Trail and offers a unique and stunning venue for the Coyote Backbone Trail Ultras.

The 6th Annual EVERGLADES ULTRAS saw three of six race records broken.

Rocky Raccoon 100 enjoyed the privilege of hosting the USATF 100-mile National Trail Championships once again. This year was also very special as it was the 25th anniversary of the race.

The pace was hot from the beginning! With Zach Miller leading the way in his usual fashion we blew through the first mile at 5:56 a.m. and didn’t slow from there. Either I thought this pace was sustainable and forgot it was a 50-mile race, or I just felt like running fast and didn’t care what would happen.