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What better way to spend Earth Day this Saturday than by running or volunteering at an event on our North American UltraRunning Calendar? For this week’s What’s Up in Ultra, check out some old school ultras including the Leona Divide in Southern California, Zane Grey in Arizona, the Promise Land in Virginia and a laundry list of others scattered across the continent.
At 6 a.m. on Saturday, April 22, is the 31st Leona Divide 50-miler and accompanying 55k/100k races in Lake Hughes, California. The course is a t-shape, double out-and-back run almost exclusively on the historic Pacific Crest Trail. The top two female and male finishers receive Sterling Silver Tickets to the Angeles Crest 100 in July. The race is sold out, but they are still looking for volunteers. Email Keira at: [email protected]. Read our 2018 Leona Divide 50k race recap by Ben Gaeots.
An older event in Pine, Arizona, is the 34th Zane Grey Highline Trail 100k. Originally a 50-miler, this will be the third year the race is run as a 100k. This point-to-point event is on very technical, single-track trails along the Mogollon Rim, an escarpment that serves as the southern border of the Colorado Plateau. Registration is full for this event. Find race day tracking here.
Entering its 22nd year is the Promise Land 50k in Bedford, Virginia, on Saturday. The third race in the Lynchburg Ultra Series, the 50k features a variety of surfaces while collecting over 7,400 feet of elevation gain. The race is sold out with 322 entrants.
The aforementioned races barely scratch the surface of ultrarunning events this weekend around the country. In the Pacific Northwest, check out the Capitol Peak 50-miler in Olympia, Washington, on Saturday, and the Mt. Si Relay & Trail Runs 50/50 in Snoqualmie, Washington, on Sunday. In Loudonville, Ohio, check out the Forget the PR Mohican 50k, in Hyner, Pennsylvania, the Hyner Trail Challenge 50k, in Madison, Wisconsin, the Mad City 50k, in Crystal Lake, Illinois, the Earth Day 50k, and in Mendocino, California, the Mendocino Coast 50k, all on Saturday.
Check out our Ultra Weekend Recap in case you missed it, which covers a handful of last weekend’s North American ultrarunning results. Keep your eyes peeled on Sunday evening for results from the above races and more. If you haven’t already, subscribe to our Thursday morning newsletter to get more from UltraRunning. What race are you running that we forgot to mention? Leave a link and comment below.