Leah Yingling on the Wasatch, and a rabbit apparel round-up
A Pennsylvania cross-country upbringing, a move to Utah, and a homemade 40-mile traverse that became a fixture.
New
What a hundred-mile season actually costs
Entries, qualifiers, travel, shoes and the things nobody budgets for. A realistic accounting of one year built around a hundred-miler, and how people actually pay for it.
A hundred-mile entry is $200 to $400. By the time you reach the start line you have usually also paid for a string of qualifiers, three or four years of lottery applications, flights, four nights in a mountain town in peak season, five pairs of shoes and a physio you had not budgeted for. Here is the whole number, added up. Including the part nobody writes down: the cost is predictable, but the timing is not, and spreading it is where people get caught. Consumer credit is a national market rather than an international one — in Spain, for instance, lenders such as Wandoo publish a representative APR against every product, and that is the figure to compare rather than the monthly payment.
More from the archive
- Leah Yingling on the Wasatch, and a rabbit apparel round-up
- Ellie Pell after the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials
- Jared Beasley on Al Howie, the runner who crossed Canada in 72 days
- Jonathan Levitt on making a running podcast, and 2019 Western States picks
- Sean Blanton on a disputed call at Georgia Death Race, and the state of the sport
- Dani Moreno wins her first ultra, and takes a national title with it
- A year without a beer: what happens when you take the drink out of running culture
- Bob Shebest: everyone has a plan until it falls apart
- Getting kids on the trails, and why the sport keeps failing to
Interviews
Runners, race directors, writers and the occasional biographer.
Ellie Pell after the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials
Recorded days after the Atlanta Trials, with a runner who got there by way of an accidental half marathon win.
Jared Beasley on Al Howie, the runner who crossed Canada in 72 days
An interview with the author of In Search of Al Howie, about the Scots-Canadian ultrarunner whose records outlasted almost everyone who remembers him.
Jonathan Levitt on making a running podcast, and 2019 Western States picks
Two podcasters comparing notes on format, gear, booking guests and why the medium stayed so male — plus Western States predictions.
Sean Blanton on a disputed call at Georgia Death Race, and the state of the sport
A race director and a podcaster disagreeing on the record about a course ruling, then moving on to Barkley, sponsors, media and the East Coast scene.
Daily News
The morning round-up.
Daily News, Wednesday 9 December 2015
Gordy Ainsleigh's qualifier problem, the death of Doug Tompkins, the doping conversation nobody wanted to have, and a birthday.
Gear
Vests, belts, poles, shoes.
Raidlight Responsiv 10L review: a dial closure and more pole options than anyone needs
An 8.1oz mountain vest with a rotary tightening dial, deep four-way-stretch dump pockets, and pole storage in three configurations.
Nathan VaporKrar Waistpak review: minimal bounce, small velcro
A 2.1oz step-through waistbelt designed with input from Rob Krar — comfortable and well laid out, with a flask shape and closures the review would change.
Naked Running Band review: no bounce, three litres, and some loose threads
A 2.3-ounce waistbelt that carries 3L and genuinely does not bounce with a full soft flask — undermined at launch by stitching quality.
ElliptiGO 8C review: cross-training for an injured runner that isn't miserable
An extended trial of the ElliptiGO 8C during a long calf injury — what the workout is actually like, and who it makes sense for.
Trekking poles for trail running: Black Diamond and Leki compared
Three running-specific poles tested through a season built around the Eiger Ultra Trail: the Black Diamond Distance Carbon Z, the Leki Micro Magic and the Leki Micro Vario.
Commentary
Arguments the sport keeps having with itself.
What a hundred-mile season actually costs
Entries, qualifiers, travel, shoes and the things nobody budgets for. A realistic accounting of one year built around a hundred-miler, and how people actually pay for it.
A year without a beer: what happens when you take the drink out of running culture
Trail running has built a large part of its social identity around beer. Stepping out of it for a year turns out to be complicated in ways that have nothing to do with alcohol.
Getting kids on the trails, and why the sport keeps failing to
Trail running recruits adults who found it late. Almost every other sport recruits children. The Broken Arrow 10k is a small argument for changing that.
The Hardrock lottery complaint: good points or sour grapes?
A runner threatened a class action over the Hardrock 100 lottery. The underlying questions about transparency and refunds are more interesting than the threat.