Orcas Island wasn’t meant to be this year, but I got to have an amazing running adventure with my friend in Washington and run some hard and beautiful miles, just in time to taper for LOViT 100.

The long stage is the most feared stage of the race. This year, for the 34th anniversary, it was sandy and hot. Not really a day at the beach. 

This is my seventh Marathon des Sables, and it took me three days to write this story. Three days of heat, sand, wind and miles of stony plateau. Three days of acclimatization, digestion really, of what the desert had in store.

The Wells Mills 50K is in an area that includes about 650,000 acres and is nearly as large as Yosemite. However, it’s right smack dab in the middle of the most densely populated state in the Union: New Jersey.

HURT hasn’t had course conditions like this since 2011, when rain poured on race weekend. Back then, the finish rate was only 29%. It’s gotten as high as 60%, so we were wondering if people might stop thinking of the HURT 100 as a tough race.

The Wild Duluth 100K and 50K races were created in 2009 to show off a new segment of the Superior Hiking Trail that spans the entire length of the City of Duluth, Minnesota, staying predominantly on the ridge overlooking the mighty Lake Superior. The trail is spectacular, and the views are plentiful as the trail crosses rocky overlooks, waterfalls and creeks, under stately white pines.

It’s difficult to top a magical Pacific Northwest island when it comes to trail running. Race weekend is a special experience, from riding the ferry, experiencing the slow pace and artsy vibe of island life, cruising along some of the greenest forest trails you’ll ever see and soaking in panoramic summit views from Seattle to Canada and the Cascade Mountains to Puget Sound.

Held at Camp Millstone 4H Camp in Richmond County, the race consists of three 10.4-mile loops on the North Carolina Game Lands. Like all Fat Ass events, there are no t-shirts, no awards and no whining.

At 66 years old, could I still go the distance? Was 2019 going to continue my bad luck from 2018? Could I still notch a 100-mile finish as a spanking-new granddad and add Florida to my long list of states where I’d run a 100-mile race?

We have finally arrived in Wisconsin at the starting line for the 2018 Kettle Moraine 100 after a long drive from our home in Missouri. For the next 30 hours, we will be crewing for Superman.

In its best years, the first 15 miles of the JFK 50 are difficult. An unusually wet fall in western Maryland was bound to make conditions on the course even more miserable, especially for those of us in the mid to rear pack. We were not disappointed.

We just needed a couple’s weekend. The last of our three kids left the nest this year, and now they are all in college. Is there a better way to sort out and plan your golden years than with a 7-hour drive to spend 30 hours in nature?

There’s been a wave of participation in our sport in the last 10-15 years, even in the 60, 70 and 80+ age groups. It’s revealing of both the sport and its participants that it’s possible to stay in the sport and run a 100-miler every year. For decades.

I can run 32 miles. I do that almost every weekend for my training runs. This may sound like an odd thought to be having upon arriving at the mile 68.5 aid station. But before we get to that, a little about me.

Like many spots in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Stringers Ridge is rich in Civil War history. Who knew that 155 years later, this former war zone would host The Cannonball – an annual, last-runner-standing battle.

On November 4, twenty-two runners lined up for Conquer The World (C.T.W.) Endurance’s first annual Fall Back into the Trails 50K, a 10k loop course with roughly 1,000 feet of elevation gain per lap at Red Wing Recreation Area in Lagrangeville, New York.

Rather than digesting my race experience, here’s a glimpse into how I got there. Simply toeing the line on race day is an honor, and certainly not a given.

Scheduled just two months after I had hip surgery, Shawnee Hills 100 was going to be my comeback race. I was healed enough and needed a shot of endurance (and confidence) for Superior 100 two weeks later. But was I ready?

“Don’t worry dear, this is the hardest time for everyone,” a volunteer consoled me. “It is?” I fought back tears. The same delicious hot food I’d devoured earlier at Red Wolf aid station now turned my stomach 25 miles later.

In its second year, the No Business 100 Mile Trail Ultra race course spills over the lower Kentucky border into Tennessee and provides the same amazing natural wonders and scenery of the Great Smoky Mountains, but, as Race Director Bryan Gajus points out, without the long lines.

Going into Stump Jump 50K this year, there was a bit of apprehension in the air. I was coming back from an injury in the spring. My wife, Emily, also took some time off in the spring but had back-to-back wins here in previous years. And our son Miles hadn’t been training much for the 10-mile event.

The journey to breaking the tape at the Hawk Hundred started with a bit of adversity. For Nicole Fleming of Springfield, Missouri, it was physical—a broken calcaneus (heel bone) threatened to derail her goal of finishing her first 100-mile race in 2018. For Mark Pecaut of Leawood, Kansas, the adversity was psychological.

There was a surpassing amount of unbridled happiness on the trail that weekend, as runners from near and far descended on this scenic jewel along Lake Superior in pursuit of 100-mile, 50-mile or marathon glory.

This year every runner got to experience the clockwise direction of the course, as this was the first time this race didn’t run the familiar counterclockwise route. The race also played host to the USA 50 Mile Road Championships.

I will always closely cherish my flawless race day, incredible experience, my sub-22 hour time, and my mostly accidental win at the Indiana Trail 100.

If I could complete a 33-mile race 25 days after being diagnosed with cancer and nine days before surgery when I am physically fine but feeling raw, fearful and vulnerable, maybe cancer really doesn’t stand a chance.

A fall reprise of the spring Hawkeye 50K, the Hawkeye Fallout 50K is the same race but run counter-clockwise, and in October to take advantage of the fall colors.

The Bear is a masterpiece in ultrarunning – a true point-to-point 100-mile race. With all the trouble the course throws at you, it’s constantly eclipsed by the natural beauty and fall colors of the Rocky Mountains.

This year 300 runners started the race and 187 runners successfully finished. It’s interesting that this year’s finishing rate is the lowest in years.