What’s Up in Ultra This Weekend — July 27

The final weekend of July features 41 ultramarathons in the US and Canada. In this week’s What’s Up in Ultra, we journey to Ohio, Utah, Minnesota and British Columbia.

Burning River

We start in northeast Ohio for the 18^th annual Burning River Endurance Run (100-mile and 50-mile races). Taking place in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and following in the footsteps of Native American tribes and early settlers, the course follows the historic Ohio & Erie Canal through deep ravines, open farmlands and rolling hills. Participants in the 100-mile race will run an out-and-back course beginning in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, and turning around at Silver Springs Park. Runners will have 30 hours to complete the course (32 hours for early starters), and sub-24-hour finishers will  earn a special gold buckle. Runners in the 50-miler will have a choice of running the first half of the race starting in the morning, or the back half of the race at night. While Burning River is named after the infamous Cuyahoga River fire of 1969, which led to the Clean Water Act of 1972, today’s race celebrates the environmental transformation of the river and the surrounding lands. Burning River is one of several area races that showcase the amazing Northeast Ohio trail system, and is supported by a passionate local running community.

Tushars Mountain Runs

Our next stop is at Eagle Point Resort outside of Beaver, Utah, for the 10^th edition of the Tushars Mountain Runs (100k and 70k ultra distances). Billed as one of the most difficult mountain races in North America, Tushers challenges runners of all skill levels with technical trails, steep climbs and descents, and thin mountain air—with most of the race being run between 9,500 and 10,500 feet above sea level. Runners in the 100k (officially 63.7 miles) will have 25 hours to navigate over 17,000 feet of elevation gain, while 70k entrants will have 24 hours to tackle 10,500 feet of vert. Race highlights include incredibly scenic alpine trails featuring high-altitude canyons, lakes and rugged peaks. All finishers receive a custom award and get to enjoy their accomplishments with a finish-line celebration.

Minnesota Voyageur

First run in 1982, the Minnesota Voyageur 50 Mile Trail Ultramarathon is one of the oldest ultramarathons in the United States. The out-and-back course begins in Carlton, Minnesota, and heads northeast before turning around in Duluth. Along the way, runners enjoy dramatic views of Duluth, Lake Superior and the Jay Cooke State Park Swinging Bridge over the St. Louis River, while being tested by challenging and varied terrain which includes rocky single track, dense woodland trails, creek crossings and steep power line climbs. Participants will have 14 hours to complete the course.

Wild Card: Buckin’ Hell

In this week’s Wild Card Race, we head to North Vancouver, British Columbia, for the rough and rugged Buckin’ Hell 50k. Co-founded by ultra legend, Gary Robbins, Buckin’ Hell showcases some of the best trails and vistas on Vancouver’s North Shore. The race begins at Mount Seymour Resort, where runners quickly learn how the race got its name as they start off running straight up the mountain. After reaching the summit, participants will then drop nearly 4,000 feet down to the Seymour River, before having to climb all the way back up the other side of the mountain to the finish. In total, runners will have to overcome 8,250 feet of climbing and descent as they navigate extremely technical trails. Those brave enough to accept the challenge have 11 hours to finish the race.

Other races this weekend include Never Summer 100k (Gould, CO), Pikes Peak Ultra (Colorado Springs, CO), Alphabet Soup Race (Williamsburg, VA), Crazy Mountain 100 (Lennep, MT), Harding Hustle (Modjeska Canyon, CA), Rattlerock Ultra (Morgantown, WV), Creede 100 (Creede, CO), Standhope (Ketchum, ID), Moosalamoo Ultra (Goshen, VT), Grand Island Trail 50k (Munising, MI), White River 50 (Crystal Mountain, WA), Whiterock Ultra (Coon Rapids, IA), and Grand Mesa Ultras (Grand Mesa, CO).

One race that I had to remove from this week’s list of upcoming events was the Elk Valley Ultra in Fernie, BC. The race was canceled due to the tragic passing of race director, Abi Moore. Our thoughts go out to her family, friends, and the Fernie community. I never had the opportunity to meet Abi, but she sounds like she was a truly amazing and inspirational human and will be dearly missed.

Good luck to everyone racing this weekend, and don’t forget to take moment to look around, high-five a fellow runner and just enjoy the time we get to spend out on the trails.