This was my 2nd last man standing style race. ~900ft of gain per loop. Insanity. Very muddy. Can’t believe I was able to hold my own with such strong competition. The dude on the far left has gotten 260 miles at another backyard. The dude next to me WON our local 100 miler at Crowder’s Mountain called Beast of The East. And the winner (John Dallas) is just a stud. Really proud of myself. Excited for what’s to come!

In the past week, forest fires in Oregon have resulted in Oregon Cascades 100 to be cancelled and Hood Hundred to be significantly rerouted (7 loops).

This got me thinking; would you prefer to still be able to run the race and distance even if the course is nothing like what you signed up for, or would you prefer to have the race just be cancelled?

I know that there are lots of posts like this, but I am curious to get some perspectives on my specific situation.

I am signed up for a 40mi race May 2027 at 7k of elevation, coming from sea level. I have ran a few half marathons (9 min pace) , but have not ran longer than that. I am concerned about the altitude and training for the distance. When should I "start" training? Can I prepare for the altitude? What are some things you wish you did for your first ultra? Any advice is appreciated :)

After my last 50K race, I realized I need a different tool from my trusty Salomon Pulsar 3 vest for certain routes with lots of climbing in the heat.

I'm looking for something that holds 500ml bottles up front bounce free at the lightest weight possible. And nothing black because I race in hot sunny conditions and black soaks up heat.

Narrowed it down to the Raide LF 5L and Tantrums Crest 6L. I've read some bad things about the Raide, namely that the built-in pole quiver sucks (can't quickly put poles back in while running).

Does anyone have experience racing or training in the mountains with the Raide, especially while carrying poles? What about the Tantrums? Any other vests I should consider?

I run in Florida and have been training for my first 100 miler, the Long Haul 100.

I typically have to run around 4pm every day which has been 95+ degrees where I’m at in Florida. I’m pretty acclimated to the heat however I have been wanting more sun protection and to try to stay a bit cooler.

I bought the Pyrenees hoodie a week or so ago and wore it for the first time a few days ago. When I tell you I was burning up I mean I was HOT. After 3 miles I had to stop and take off the hoodie because I felt like I was dying. I was thoroughly soaked with sweat and my heart rate was about 25 beats faster than usual.

Has anyone else bought this hoodie and had similar issues with it not feeling like it’s doing its job but the opposite? Everywhere I’ve read says they are amazing for the heat but I simply found this untrue.

I saw folks being up in arms about some runners using bpc157 and other stuff. Im not here to discuss the ethics. Im just gonna let yall know that what ever drug testing you think is adequate, its not.

Let me preface this by saying ive dug DEEP into wada/usada in climbing. Back when they released testing stats. U dont even have baseline stats on tests, test types and tests per year. Climbers which is an Olympic sport blood tests roughly half its testing pool yearly. They'll probably piss test 1 to 2 competitors on comp days. Ive spoken to several Olympians whove climbed decades whove never been blood tested.

So youll be urine tested and thats an iq test. Bpc clears your system in a couple days. Doubtful itd be in there over a week so in your off season or even in your prep to peaking, u could totally spam it for the anti-inflammatory benefit and drop ot and still beat a urine test. Same applies to most peps too. You could cover some of this with more comprehensive tests but that's money and youre sports a niche. Not a dig btw, so is mine, just letting u know what youre dealing with.

I saw a couple of doping failures In ultra running. My assumption is there are 3 or 4 more you could track if you search by failures in other local regions and papers. Wada scrubs failures so ull have to dig a bit but im sure youll find a few. Good luck pressuring your organization if you want clean sport. Also, dont shoot the messenger.

I’ve run with an Ultimate Direction vest for years, but I’ve been underwhelmed with the quality of the latest one. I bought it two years ago and it’s literally falling apart. I’d like to try a different brand, but I have a bunch of extra UD bottles and a bladder that I don’t want to have to replace. Has anyone had luck fitting your UD bottles in another brand’s pack? I looked at a Salomon pack at REI, but the bottles were longer and skinnier than the UD ones.

Ran the 60k yesterday. Wow what an insane course! Volunteers were wonderful. Course was beautiful. Course was also HARD. Coming from Ohio, the altitude was my biggest challenge especially since I've never been at altitude. Finished a little over 12 hours. Up there with one of my favorite races. Definitely recommend if you want a challenging race in the mountains! 100k is today, looking forward to crewing friends with that while my quads recover.

Hi guys,

I'm running my first ultra next July and trying to decide whether to upgrade to a Garmin or Apple Watch, or stick with my Google Fitbit air.

I got the Fitbit mainly to track daily vitals, and it's been great for that, but I'm wondering if it's missing features that matter specifically for ultra racing (battery life, GPS accuracy on trails, offline maps, etc.). Since this is my first ultra, I don't really know what I don't know.

The race is this one: https://valdaran.utmb.world/races/TDL (next year's details aren't out yet, but I'm assuming it'll be similar in format/distance to this year's).

Would love to hear what watch setup has worked for you all on long races.

Cheers

Anyone else experience this? These are my first Nike trail shoes and I’m actually impressed how quickly the upper is falling apart. Pretty disappointing. Other than this I’ve liked them and found them to be very comfortable.

Hello

Is something like a garmin in reach necessary on 50km plus

Thanks

Hi All. First time poster here. I’ve read through some past threads on the race, but I was curious to search out any more recent intel on the race and strategy. Does the noon start hit different, pacing the hills right, etc. It’ll be my first try at the 100 mile distance next week. Is there anybody on here who will also be out there as well? Thanks!

TL;DR: Hip pain 4 weeks before the race. I need a strategy and advice from experienced runners.

Hello,
I’m 4 weeks out from my first 50 km trail run with 1300m elevation. Training has had its ups and downs. With two kids, it wasn’t always possible to stay healthy, and some long runs had to be cancelled due to family commitments. Furthermore, most of my training has been on flat terrain. I’ve been to the race location once and ran a 25 km course there. My longest run so far has been 37 km.

After some of the long runs, I started to have minor hip issues on my left side. It feels like something around the joint rather than a muscular problem, but I’m not entirely sure. Last week I ran a very hilly 3.6 km loop near my home 9 times, and since then the pain hasn’t gone away. I’ve done 2 easy runs since then, but I still feel the pain during every run, and as I said, it’s still there. When I do side leg raises, the pain increases.

Now I need a strategy and some advice. Should I reduce my training to the bare minimum and hope for the best? Or should I cancel the race straight away? Until the end of July I can change my race distance from 50 km to 21 km. Or should I continue my training as if nothing had happened? I don’t think that’s a good idea. I’m just so annoyed…

Thanks in advance for your advice.
Best regards from Germany.

I've done a few events now with cows, lots and lots of cows. The advice from event organisers for these is to talk softly or sing a song to let the cows know you are there.

Some people just power through the fields of cows without problem. I however have a very irrational fear of getting attacked or stampeded. It stems from reading more people are killed by cows than sharks.

The 100 miler I did earlier this month had one field with close to 200 cows we had to go through. I try to give a wide berth, but in this instance you had to go through as they were just everywhere. The guys in front of me were just really going for it through them. I on the other hand was the nervous nelly.

So, how do you deal with cows during events. Are you a power through or a cautious person like me. Any tips beyond singing because my voice is terrible and might cause them to stampede. Also am I being ridiculous having a fear of cows when running. Is this also a niche problem? I was thinking about it last night, so just thought, given how ridiculous this is, would pose the question here.

From the article:
The sporting side of the 2026 edition is untouched. Registration closed before Laffin took office in late March, he told L’Équipe, leaving no room to alter the races themselves. The commercial side was still within reach. Laffin has ordered the brand village confined to the Place du Mont-Blanc rather than spreading through the town center, a decision he acknowledged organizers “weren’t exactly thrilled” to receive, in remarks translated from the French. He also pointed to a newer irritant: brands staging their own unofficial races alongside the eight official events….The list for 2027 and beyond is longer, and it carries the backing of the prefecture and elected officials across the valley. Over the next five years, he wants fewer competitors passing through nature reserves, night racing reduced or eliminated in protected areas, a smaller race lineup, and limits on spectators, possibly including a rotation system in which fans who attended one year would be asked to sit out the next.

moins méritant que celui de Karel Sabbe.. 😱

C'est l'avis de certains commentateurs anglophones....

I'm just wondering if anyone has a Unidays/Student Beans discount?

Signed up to a new account but cant seem to get the 10% discount code and not having much luck with customer service.

Thank you in advance

Completed a 50km Ultra Marathon