If you run, you’re a runner.

It doesn’t matter what pace you run or how long you go, but it does matter where you buy your running shoes.

There are a lot of places to buy running shoes nowadays—at a big sporting goods shop, at a mall chain store, at an online retailer, at a discount website or at a running specialty store. The best way to buy your next pair of running shoes is to walk into your local running specialty shop and spend a half hour trying on shoes with a knowledgeable shoe-fitter who knows how different shoes fit, feel and ride and what models might be best for the size and shape of your feet and the idiosyncrasies of your running gait.

Not only will you be amazed at how the different shoes feel on your feet, but you’re bound to feel energized about your own running. It doesn’t matter if you’re a young, fast runner, someone who’s been jogging forever, a middle-aged back-of-the-packer or a complete newbie to this thing we all love to do almost every day.

That includes Gina Kutz, a Fitchburg, Wisconsin, resident, who decided to go all-in during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020 because she needed to exercise at a time when gyms were closed.

She admits she didn’t know anything about running shoes when she walked into and was fitted for her first pair of running shoes by store owner Jessica Anderson. Kutz learned why some runners need more support and stability from their shoes, why it’s best to have a different pair of shoes to run trails or speedier workouts and that most shoes have a lifespan of 300 to 400 miles.

“At that point, I wasn’t a runner, so I needed all the help I could get,” Kutz recalls. “I was intimidated going into the store the first time, but Jessica made me feel welcome and calm. She not only helped me find my first real pair of running shoes, but helped me start my journey as a runner.”

Kutz has since run a marathon, two half marathons and more than a dozen 5Ks. She’s been back to her local running shop to buy more shoes, sports bras, running apparel and accessories. The more she visited, the more she realized it was less about the gear and more about the vibe.

“It’s one of those places you walk into and you’re immediately inspired,” Kutz says. “It’s not about buying stuff, but you just feel good about being around active runners and people who are there to help you with whatever you need.”

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America’s Best Running Stores

Every year, by a running industry organization that puts on The Running Event trade show in Austin, Texas. The winning stores are honored at an industry celebration, when the Running Store of the Year is announced.

“Our team evaluated hundreds of store submissions and had the pleasure of learning about the races, clubs, charitable efforts, employees, and overall culture that make each run specialty shop a true force for good,” said Christina Henderson, executive director of The Running Event. “The industry is comprised of extremely passionate and dedicated retailers, and our team knows there are many incredible stores not represented on the list. These winning stores have proven commitment to their customers, employees, community, and growth of the sport that brings us together: running.”

The roughly 900 running specialty shops around the U.S. Those kinds of shops, many independently owned, have been the lifeblood of both the sport and recreational side of running for more than 40 years, providing a sense of community and spreading their knowledge and passion to all levels of runners. Yes, many have had a runner-geek quirkiness to them, but the expert shoe-fitters are there to help every runner find their next pair of running shoes.

You can buy bread, milk, vegetables and ground beef at a chain superstore and your local gas station, but you’re probably better off going to a bakery, a butcher shop or traditional grocery store for those items. If you’re looking for quality and service, you get what you pay for, and the expert shoe-fitting and customer service (not to mention the running smarts, inspiration and encouragement) you’ll get at a running specialty store far outweigh the benefits of buying shoes at a discount and getting them shipped free to your doorstep two days later.

“If you don’t have a good fit, you don’t have anything,” said Kris Hartner, , which has won the Running Store of the Year honors twice. “It’s an individual process because every shoe brand and model will fit slightly differently. The best way to find out what works is to try on several models.”

In addition to knowledgeable and personal shoe-fitting service, most running stores offer some type of running gait analysis, a great range of models than most online sites, mall shops or big box stores, plus apparel and accessories and loads of inspiration, too.

Big Things Come in Small Stores

Small, independent running shops have always been the heart and soul of running. They’re all about community; not only do they support and encourage local runners, but they also assist local schools, races and training programs. Plus, most can point you to local medical professional who can properly diagnose any running-related aches and pains you might have quickly and effectively.

Those are all of the things that Josh and Kara Levinson focused on as they developed the collection of and made it one of the running industry’s biggest success stories of the past two decades. They opened their first community-based shop in Timonium north of Baltimore in 2002 and saw it thrive based on good customer service and a friendly local vibe.

They replicated that experience and opened new shops around the state with great success, earning national recognition as. When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, they adapted with improved online sales that allowed them to impart their shoe-fitting expertise, local knowledge and top-level customer service, not to mention free home delivery.

As the pandemic waned, the noticeable increase in recreational running was apparent and the store thrived — a testament to the community connections the stores and its staff had worked so hard to build for years, but also because of how much effort they gave to their local community when adversity struck.

“There was a huge uptick in business,” Levinson said. “It was partly that we were offering more to our customers, but I think people really doubled down on local. Nobody wants to see a lot of local businesses go away, but it’s not easy to survive. Local stores aren’t just going to stay around. They need to be supported. I am proud of our employees and that we have persevered.”

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Here are all the nominees for the 2024 Best Running Stores in the U.S. as honored by The Running Event running industry trade show, including the winner

Alaska

Arizona

Arkansas

California

Colorado

Connecticut

Florida

Georgia

Illinois

Indiana

Kansas

Kentucky

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Missouri

Montana

New Jersey

New York

North Carolina

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee

Texas

Virginia

Utah

Wisconsin

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What are your biggest running goals for 2025? Have you started training yet? Do you have a plan or a coach to guide you?

OK, I know, that’s a lot of questions as the year winds down, but now is the perfect time to find some answers.

We all get excited about chasing running and fitness objectives in the new year—running your first or next marathon, aiming for a new half-marathon PR, taking on the challenge of a rugged trail race, or simply just getting into the best shape of our lives—but too often we wait until New Year’s Day—or even sometime in the early springtime—to get started.

Yep, I’ve been guilty of that, too, a few times! But this year, I started chasing my next-year running goals on November 1. My goals are diverse and personal—getting optimally fit for a 50K trail race in June, running a fast mile on the track in August, and running the Chicago Marathon for the fourth time in October, not to mention spending a summer of doing long adventure runs in the mountains. Starting early and adding structure now will make a big difference in how I’m able to achieve those goals. Yes, if you live in a climate where winter makes running more challenging like I do, it will take some additional effort and sacrifice to get started. But no matter where you live, the juice is worth the squeeze that it will take to get started sooner than later.

After a rough injury-filled year of running in 2024, I decided to put myself through a month-long training camp by focusing on honing core strength and low-key, consistent running during November. Now, with the guidance of a coach, I’ll get into a base-building phase in December with a slightly higher volume of mileage and hit the ground running in January. I’m not there yet, but I know I’ve put myself on the path for a year filled with fitness, fun, and (relatively) faster times.

So, how do you start building momentum for your 2025 goals? Here are some tips to get you moving:

1. Start Today

Don’t waste time waiting for January to roll around to chase next year’s running goals. Start today. Even if you’re not fully focused on what you want to do—you might not have specific goals set or a plan on how to get there—get started by planning out a week of easy to moderate running, cross-training, and strength training. You don’t have to go full throttle, but plotting out a few days can kickstart your training.  You can prescribe yourself a few easy runs or make it a mix of 4- to 10-mile runs, a couple of days working on core strength at the gym, and maybe a weekend bike ride and a couple of swimming sessions to mix things up a bit or take you out of your comfort zone. (If you’ve already started, good for you! Move on to the next point and keep your train rolling.)

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2. Don’t Make Resolutions

Look at the new year like a blank canvas or a book of blank pages that you get to fill with whatever you want to accomplish in 2025. Just don’t fall into the trap of making New Year’s resolutions, which typically fail by the third week in January. Instead, build a structured plan based on or have a coach develop a program specifically for you. My only advice is to not set the bar too low. No matter if your goal is to get fit and run your first or next 10K, marathon, or ultra-distance race, make your goals specific so you can adapt along the way. If you’re consistent with your training, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to surpass your initial goals as you develop a solid level of fitness. Believe in yourself, do the work, trust the process, and results will follow.

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3. Make Plans

To accomplish anything, you need to have a plan. That might start by signing up for a race or two, but that’s the easy part. Getting there and running well takes time and maybe some help. If your goal is to run your fastest marathon sometime next year, how are you going to do it? What training plan are you going to follow? Does it make sense to hire a coach? And does an online or an in-person coach better suit your needs? Who will you run with for your long runs or your hard workouts? Training alone and doing it without guidance can work for some people, but most runners benefit from all the help they can get.

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4. Be Consistent But Flexible

Mixing training with life is a difficult juggling act and always unpredictable. Even if you’ve meticulously planned your week and have anticipated some of the things that come up, unexpected challenges like work, family, friends, or weather can still disrupt your running routine and throw off your training flow. Being consistent requires a three-part approach in which you’re diligent, flexible, and reasonable. If a work meeting goes long and eliminates your lunchtime run, be prepared to log those miles in the evening. (Or better yet, if you’re able to run before work, you will not regret the early wake-up.)

If inclement weather makes it impossible to do your planned track workout, reconfigure your schedule and do it later in the week or modify your workout to do it on the roads or the treadmill, but don’t just give in and take a day off. Be relentless about your pursuit as much as is reasonably possible. Don’t knock yourself out—if you get sick, rest may be what you need. But prioritize running so you keep heading in the right direction. Here’s where a coach can help ensure you are getting the work in at the proper times in the correct order without you having to do mental gymnastics to keep your training safe and on track.

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5. Get Stronger

If you want to chase new goals and up-level your running in 2025, you need to make sure your body is strong enough to hold up through the rigors of the miles you’re logging. Working on general and running-specific strength will help you run more efficiently for longer durations and also help reduce the chance of overuse injuries. No matter how fit we are, we gradually lose muscle mass and strength in our late 30s to early 40s. That doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be getting leaner, but it probably means you’re getting weaker. I made it a point to do 30 minutes of strength work every other day in November. Plus, I added on the other days and lap swimming two days per week when I could.

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6. Make Sure You’re Having Fun

No matter if you’re a new runner or a sub-elite speedster, one of your top priorities should be making your running fun. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be diligent about training, make necessary sacrifices, and be serious about the goals you’re chasing. It just means that you should enjoy the journey. Because afterall, what’s the point of any of this if it’s not fun? Keeping running fun could look like linking up with friends for early morning runs or hard workouts, joining a local running store or pub run group, planning a post-long run brunch with friends on a weekend morning, listening to your favorite podcasts while clocking easy miles, or going out of your way to discover off-the-beaten-path trails. Not only do those actions add intention to your running, but they also add camaraderie and accountability, too.

For me, the simple notion that I’m doing something for my short-term health (namely moving my body and clearing my mind) and long-term well-being (ideally offsetting long-term health issues from being sedentary) are inherently inspiring and motivating. And the more you get into it, you’ll find that running a few miles with friends at a conversational pace (or entirely alone where you’re letting your mind wander) is one of the purest forms of fun imaginable.

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7. Keep Going

Every year of dedication to consistent fitness is like a deposit into your future well-being that not only builds increased aerobic capacity and efficiency but also generates lifelong enthusiasm and long-term health. I was oblivious to that concept in my late 20s and early 30s when my attention span was mostly concerned with the here and now. But I’ve come to realize that my running journey has never been only about training for races on my calendar or what I’m doing in a particular season of a particular year—it’s tied to extending my physical, mental, and emotional longevity.

So, just because there’s a new year on the horizon and you’re all excited to reach specific goals in 2025, remember that you’re on a journey that doesn’t end at the finish line of a goal race or after a certain amount of time. Approach the new year as an investment in your wellness that will (hopefully) extend through the next several decades of your life.

Related Training Plans to Follow 

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All year, Eli Hemming said his primary focus was charging up and over the La FlégÚre ski resort on the last climb of the OrsiÚres-Champex-Lac-Chamonix (OCC) race at the UTMB World Series Finals to then break the finish line tape in Chamonix, France, as the champion.

That’s almost exactly how it played out on Thursday afternoon. The 29-year-old runner from Kremmling, Colorado, fended off the world closing in around him as he overheated under a humid, sunny 80 degree day, as well as a hard-charging Francesco Puppi, to win the 57K (36-mile) race in 5 hours, 11 minutes in 48 seconds. In doing so, he not only  claimed a UTMB-Mont Blanc Finals title and the , he became the first American ever to win the prestigious race that serves as the de facto global championship at the shorter ultra distances.

But the race was a dastardly tilt, and Hemming had to turn himself inside out to get the win. It figured to be a grueling battle, both because of the 11,500 feet of elevation gain and descent but also because of the strong field of international runners and hot, humid weather with sunny skies soaring into the 80s under the early afternoon sun.

How Hemming Became the First American to Win OCC

Hemming went out hard early in the race, but he didn’t feel compelled to challenge for the lead up the first two climbs over the first 9 miles. That’s because fellow American Christian Allen was absolutely flying off the front, as the 26-year-old runner from Orem, Utah, surged to the lead from the gun and led by more than 2 minutes through the 15-mile mark as he passed through Swiss the village of Trient.

But that’s where the runners faced the toughest test of the race, a spikey 4-mile, 2,300-foot technical climb to the Chalet des Grands before continuing upward on slightly less steep terrain to the Col de Balme mountain pass. In all, it’s a 3,000-foot ascent over about 6 miles to the 7,200-foot high point on the course.

That was the first crux of the race, and that’s where Hemming took charge. As Allen faded, Hemming surged up the big climb as several other speedy runners gave chase, including Swiss runner Remi Bonnet who is known for his uphill running abilities. But Hemming had been waiting for this all year and specifically trained on long mountain ascents near Breckenridge, Colorado. He continued to surge across the Swiss-French border and up to the pass, building a nearly 7-minute lead over Spanish runner Antonio Martinez Perez.

From there, Hemming extended his lead to 10 minutes on the 7-mile, 3,000-foot descent to the French village of Argentiùre. But with one more big climb—a 3.5-mile, 2,000-foot technical grind to 6,200 feet atop the ski resort—he was anything but home free. Early in the climb, he slowed from a run to a walk, and even stopped at one point midway through the climb, bent over and rested his hands on his knees. He looked in distress, but eventually gathered himself and started running slowly up the hill again.

Perez had been charging up the mountain behind him and there was a brief moment where it looked like Hemming’s lead might be in jeopardy. But he managed to reach the final checkpoint at the 50K La FlĂ©gĂšre aid station in first, and immediately looked better as he began the 4-mile descent down to Chamonix. Although he had gained ground, Perez felt the impact of the climb, too, and was caught by Italian runner Francesco Puppi before reaching the ski resort aid station. After a cordial acknowledgement as he passed, Puppi suddenly had a new spring in his step. He surged up the final 200 meters to reach the checkpoint about 4 minutes after Hemming then began bombing down the rocky, rooty dirt trail in pursuit of the leader.

Up front, Hemming had recovered slightly, running smoothly albeit without the intensity of a couple hours earlier. Puppi was clearly running faster. What had been a 10-minute lead at the 28.2-mile mark had greatly diminished with less than 3 miles to go. But with every stride, Hemming was one step closer to his year-long goal of winning OCC and he wasn’t going to let it slip away.

When he reached the edge of the Chamonix pedestrian village, he was quickly re-energized by the throngs of cheering spectators and increased his pace briefly as he dashed through the winding 200-meter section before slowly slightly on the final blue-carpeted approach to the finish line.

“I was trying to pace it as well as I could, and I knew if I made it over Col de Balme with a good gap, unless I blow up—which I did a little bit—I knew I could hold up pretty well to the end,” Hemming said. “It ended up being a bit of a grind. I knew I had about a 10-minute lead at Argentiùre, but I was very much overheated and the walls started closing in a bit. I tried to take a little time to cool down, but I knew I had to keep moving and just make it to the top.”

Still running hard, Puppi dashed through the village three minutes later to finish second in 5:14:46, followed by Perez in third at 5:17:56, China’s Juwei Zi in fourth (5:22:17), and Aritz Egea Caceres in 5th (5:27:07). Nick Handel, a 32-year-old runner from San Francisco, was the second American runner in the men’s race, finishing 13th in 5:41:08.

The victory is the first big international win for Hemming, who transitioned into trail running  in 2021 after several years as a professional triathlete. Hemming has won several domestic 50K races in the US, including the Canyons Endurance Runs 50K on April 26 in Auburn, California. Last year, he placed second to Bonnet in the Mont-Blanc Marathon and also finished fifth in the Golden Trail World Series Final 20K championship in Noli, Italy.

Puppi, meanwhile, turned in his best race since coming back from an extended U.S. running trip in the spring. He handily won the Chuckanut 50K in Bellingham, Washington, in March, and the Lake Sonoma 100K in California in April, but then struggled with fatigue for a month after returning to Europe. He placed eighth in the Mont-Blanc Marathon and 15th at the Sierre-Zinal 31K two weeks ago in Switzerland. This was his second year in a row taking second at OCC.

“I don’t think I have the energy to process what I just did right now,” Puppi said. “I am continually impressed by the suffering of endurance racing going like this and with what all the athletes that ran with me did today. I just try to be my best every time I race. I’m happy I gave my 100 percent and that’s what matters.”

Miao Yao Wins Her Second UTMB Championship Race

For a while, it looked like Hemming, and his 27–year-old wife, Tabor, might be on the verge of one of the best trail running stories of the year. They decided to part ways with sponsor Salomon, in the offseason, and sign with the Adidas-Terrex team at the start of the year. While they both raced well early in the season—Tabor took third at the Canyons 50K in April and third at the Broken Arrow Skyrace 25K in June—they opted not to race as much this year as they’ve been known to. They also decided not to join their new teammates at an extended Chamonix training camp in late July and instead stay home and train at high-altitude in central Colorado.

Knowing what they’d be facing on the course, they sought out long climbs near Breckenridge and Frisco that topped out between 12,000 and 13,000 feet—including Wheeler Pass between Copper Mountain ski resort and the community of Blue River.

“The course is fast and steep, but it’s also very runnable,” Tabor said. “We knew we could get quality training at home, so we used those climbs to train, so we were happy to stay at home and run the places we know best.”

Tabor looked great early in the race, running with a strong pack of lead women that included Judith Wyder of Switzerland, Clementine Geoffray of France, and Miao Yao of China, plus Spain’s Sara Alonso, New Zealand’s Caitlin Fielder, and fellow Americans Dani Moreno and Allie McLaughlin.

Wyder was the early leader and figured to be tough to beat—despite a recent bout of COVID. She had earned the silver medal in the 50K race at last year’s World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Austria, and more recently took second in the 20K mountain running race at the European Championships and first at the Mont-Blanc Marathon in early July.

Wyder led Geoffray, Moreno, McLaughlin, and Yao through the initial 4.5-mile climb to Champex, then expanded her lead to the top of the second climb at the 6,200-foot summit of La Giete as Yao and Alonso maneuvered into the second and third spots. But following a similar strategy as her husband, Tabor took the lead on the long downhill into Trient and began to surge on the technical climb up to Chalet des Grands with Yao, Wyder, Alonso and McLaughlin in tow.

Hemming ran in the lead for part of the climb, but she paid for the aggressive move. Wyder and Yao overtook her and those two separated from the rest of the field. They dueled back and forth but Yao took the lead over Col de Balme and would never relinquish it. She seemed to get stronger as the race went on and she extended the gap on Wyder to 4 minutes at La FlégÚre ski resort.

From there, Yao cruised into Chamonix to secure the first win by a Chinese athlete at OCC in 5:54:03. With a 2018 CCC win already under her belt, she also enters the rarified air of having two UTMB World Series Finals championship titles to her name.

Wyder was second in 6:00:05, followed by Geoffray in third at 6:02:10, Alonso in fourth (6:05:15), and Fielder in fifth (6:05:46). Moreno, who was third in the OCC in 2022 and dropped out last year, ran a strong second half to finish sixth as the top American in 6:06:59. Tabor Hemming continued up and over Col de Balme but slowed significantly and eventually dropped out at ArgentiĂšre.

“I’m really happy about my race. It was really fun out there to compete with such strong ladies,” Wyder said, “Miao Yao was flying in the end. I’m so proud of myself to be back and to be able to be racing healthy. I didn’t think about [having COVID recently]. Today I was really happy with my performance and with my legs today.”

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As a young girl, Marisa Howard dreamed about becoming an Olympian one day. But her focus was on another Olympic sport, gymnastics. She had no idea what the 3,000-meter steeplechase even was.

She also had no idea she’d be a mom when the dream actually came true.

Over the last two decades, Marisa, 31, has gone through numerous highs and lows, near-misses, injuries, a lack of sponsor support, and joyful life changes—most notably giving birth to son, Kai, in 2022. But the steeplechaser from Boise, Idaho, never let go of the dream. Relying on her faith, a strong family support system, and the frugal but full life she shares with her husband, Jeff, the dream came true on June 27 with a third-place finish in the steeplechase at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon.

After chipping away at her craft for three Olympic cycles,  Marisa ran the race of her life—finishing with a 15-second personal best of 9 minutes and 7.14 seconds—to earn a spot on Team USA.

Her dream of running for Team USA in the Olympics officially materialized on August 4 when she lined up to race in the prelims of the 3,000-meter steeplechase in Paris. She ran with the lead pack in her heat as long as she could, but with two laps to go she slid to seventh and finished in that position in 9:24.78, missing the chance to advance to the August 6 final by two places and about seven seconds.

“I think it just becomes a lot more real when you see people that have been kind of knocking on the door for years and finally break through. It’s like, ‘Wow, we’re human and we can do it.’ Dreams do come true,” Marisa said. “I was six or seven or eight years old when this Olympic dream was born, and I plan on competing until he’s that age, hopefully, to show him what it’s like to do hard things and chase your dreams. I think it’ll be cool in 10 years when I show Kai these videos and be able to tell him, “Look at what Mommy did when you were two.”

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In between making the team in late June and arriving in Paris in late July, Marisa’s life returned to normal—as if being a mom with a 2-year-old is ever normal, or at least consistent, on a day-to-day basis. That month included rough bouts of stomach flu for her and her son, the continued day-to-day management of Kai with Jeff, juggling workouts with childcare help from family and friends, reestablishing normal sleep patterns for everyone, and of course, finalizing travel plans to get the family to Paris.

It all came with a humbling reminder of the perspective that has been the bedrock of Marisa’s postpartum revival as an athlete.

“The day after I qualified, we were driving back home to Idaho and we were all tired. Kai was exhausted and screaming in the car, and I told my husband, ‘He doesn’t care that I’m an Olympian, he just wants food and sleep and, really, I’m just mom,’” she said. “It’s humbling—there’s nothing more humbling than taking care of your sick baby—and I think as a parent, we’re humbled every single day, and we come up short sometimes despite doing the best we can, but I’m thankful that there’s grace and forgiveness. I think it makes those high moments so much sweeter.”

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Don’t Call it a Comeback

Marisa is part of a new wave of elite runners that aren’t putting their family plans on hold due to their career, and one of several moms who competed at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Stephanie Bruce raced the 10,000 meters just nine months postpartum after giving birth to her daughter, Sophia, in September 2023, while Kate Grace ran strong preliminary and semifinal 800-meter races to advance to the final of that event just 15 months after giving birth to son, River, in March 2023.

Elle St. Pierre gave birth to her son, Ivan, at about the same time, and returned to racing six months postpartum, finishing seventh in a speedy 4:24 at the Fifth Avenue Mile in New York City. That was just the beginning for St. Pierre, who broke the American indoor record in the mile (4:16.41) in January then won the gold medal in the 3,000 meters at the indoor world championships in Glasgow in March. At the Olympic Trials, Pierre won the 5,000 meters and placed third in the 1500, qualifying for Team USA in both events, even though she declined the Olympic entry for the 5,000.

After Howard gave birth to Kai in late May 2022, she began doing pelvic floor therapy along with general strength training and some easy jogging. By the time she started running in earnest that fall, she was surprised at how quickly her aerobic fitness came back to her.

“What’s really surprised me is that I’m able to run paces that I never hit before pregnancy with the same amount or less effort,” she says. “My aerobic engine has just gotten so strong. You do see women come back stronger, but it’s a wide range of how long it takes them to come back. ”

When she returned to the track, she was aiming for a top-three finish at the 2023 U.S. championships to qualify for the world championships in Budapest. She made it to the final and was in third place with two laps to go, but just didn’t have the closing speed. However, she did get the Olympic Trials standard by clocking a near-PR of 9:22.73, demonstrating she was just as fast as her pre-pregnancy self despite limited training and two years away from racing.

By late 2023 and early 2024, Pat McCurry, Marisa’s coach since college, was able to add more volume and intensity to her training, setting up what he thought would be her best season yet. And while Marisa admittedly didn’t race as well as hoped in her races before the Olympic Trials, McCurry knew she was capable of great things.

“She was on a different level once we got back to that base fitness post-pregnancy, and I think that’s what’s paid off in massive fitness dividends,” said McCurry, who has coached Marisa on Idaho Afoot training group since 2015. “The racing didn’t look amazing from the outside. The training was spectacular. We were doing things in training since January that we’ve never done before—just the level of intensity and volume we were sustaining was stellar.”

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Bootstrapping It

Marisa picked up running at Pasco High School in Washington, and carried on with the dream at Boise State University. There, she also met Jeff Howard, a Boise State runner who held the school record in the 10,000 meters. But more important than their common athletic passion, they shared the same Christian values that were the foundation of her life. They married in the summer of 2013 just after he graduated. He eventually took a job as a high school teacher at a nearby school, while she blossomed into a three-time NCAA Division I All-American for the Broncos, notching a runner-up finish at the 2014 NCAA championships and fourth-place finish the following year as a senior.

After she graduated, she picked up a small sponsorship deal with women’s apparel brand Oiselle and set her sights on the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials . She got injured and missed the trials that year. But Howard and her husband bought a house in Boise and started their family life in earnest. That added stability, along with the guidance of McCurry, who she began working with in 2016, allowed her to dig deeper into training and continue to make progress in the steeplechase, lowering her personal best to 9:30.92 at a race in Lapinlahti, Finland.

The Oiselle sponsorship evaporated after about three years but that didn’t seem to matter. She and Jeff were living frugally and loving life, especially because, by then, most of their family had moved to Boise. Marisa had two aunts who had lived in the area before she went to college, and Jeff’s parents moved to town shortly after they were married. Marisa’s parents, and later her best friend, Marianne Green, also picked up their roots and relocated to town.

The ensuing years brought a variety of highs and lows—several near-miss fifth place finishes at U.S. championships, a silver medal at the 2019 Pan American Games, a few injuries that delayed her progress, a  breakthrough eight-second PR in the semifinals of the 2020 Olympic Trials, and, of course, welcoming Kai into the world in 2022.

What makes Marisa’s situation especially challenging is that she’s run competitively without a traditional sponsor since 2017, more or less collectively bootstrapping the dream on her husband’s high school teacher’s salary and working part-time as a schol nurse and as a coach. (She will officially join the Boise State staff as an assistant coach after the Olympics.) She often stays with friends when she travels to races and says she’s grateful to the meet directors who have flown her out to race, put her up in hotels, and also paid her to pace races.

She also earned USATF Foundation grants and in 2022 was the recipient of a $10,000 grant to offset child care expenses from a program sprinting legend Allyson Felix organized through Athleta’s Power of She Fund and the . Marisa competed at the 2024 Olympic Trials as part of the , which provides a small quarterly stipend, running apparel, and shoes to about 40 athletes in all disciplines of track and field.

“We’ve found ways to make it work. We drive used cars, and we refinanced in 2020, so thankfully our mortgage is very low,” she says. “So really a lot of my expenses are just shoes, a little bit of travel, coaching fees, gym fees, and things like that. But it does add up. But thankfully we live well within our means and are able to do it. As I’ve said before, the Lord always provides.”

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Getting It Done

But even with that support and her continued progress, Marisa entered the Olympic Trials as a dark horse contender to make Team USA. And that’s despite knowing that Emma Coburn and Courtney Frerichs, the top stars of the event for the past 10 years, were sidelined with injuries. She hadn’t run great in her races leading up to the trials, and her confidence was waning, McCurry says.

“I felt like not having a full contract [from a shoe sponsorship] had kind of eroded away at some of her confidence, and she was starting to have a little bit of imposter syndrome at races,” says McCurry. “We just had a really firm talk where I was like, damn it, you’re better than this,” he says. “Not we, not the training, you, Marissa Howard, are better than this.”

That pep talk was just what she needed. It helped remind Marisa about her bigger purpose, just as much as packing diapers, toys, and pajamas for Kai did before she and Jeff made the eight-hour drive to Eugene for the Olympic Trials.

In her semi-final heat at the trials on June 24, Marisa ran aggressively and finished second behind Gabbi Jennings in 9:26.38. After the race, she said she was looking forward to the final, but, for the moment, was most interested in making sure Kai got to bed on time.

Running with purpose and caring for her son emboldened her for the final, where she ran with conviction among the top five before moving into the lead briefly with a lap to go. In what was a thrilling final lap, Val Constien retook the lead and sprinted to victory down the homestretch in an Olympic Trials-record 9:03.22, followed by a surging Courtney Wayment (9:06.50) and a determined Marisa (9:07.14) as the top nine finishers all set new personal bests.

 

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“My husband and I talk about competitive greatness: You want to rise to the occasion when everyone else is at their best. So it’s like, gosh, I was able to do it! I think a lot of it for me has always been about having my priorities in place. I’m a Christian first, and then a wife, and then a mom, and then a runner. And I think if I keep those in that line, that’s where I see success,” Marisa says.

“I’ve sat next to gold medalists and other high-level athletes in chapels before U.S. championship races and they’ve told me, ‘I’ve won that gold medal and it doesn’t fill that void in my heart.’ And just knowing that a medal or success isn’t going to change you, ultimately, you have to be secure in who you are. So just remembering where my priorities lie helps to kind of keep me grounded.”

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Courtney Dauwalter is no match for even Courtney Dauwalter. For the third straight year, the 39-year-old trail running superstar won the Hardrock 100 in course-record time. Striding into downtown Silverton, Colorado early Saturday morning, to rousing applause at 8:12 A.M. local time, she kissed the large painted rock marking the finish to stop the clock in 26:11:49—two and a half minutes under her own overall women’s course record from last year, and over 30 minutes ahead of her clockwise record from 2022.

“Man, I didn’t plan on sprinting into the finish today,” Dauwalter said with a laugh. “I only knew about what pace we needed to run for the record because [my husband] Kevin was pacing me in the last section. I wouldn’t have remembered the time for that. We got to the top of Little Giant, which is like seven-ish miles away, and I said, ‘Do you think the clock could read 25 as the first number?’ And then we looked at our watches and we were like, ‘Probably not.’ It was still pretty far and not much time. But then it was like, ‘Well, what’s the overall record?’ because it was just a good carrot to dangle to get to the finish as efficiently as we could.”

After running in discomfort early on with France’s Camille Bruyas in close proximity, Dauwalter took off running out of Telluride at mile 27 and never looked back. She progressively chipped away at not only her pain cave, but also her own 2022 splits, flirting with the elusive 26-hour mark and finishing fourth overall. Bruyas finished second among women (and sixth overall) more than three hours and 15 minutes after Dauwalter in 29:28:14.

With the win, Dauwalter has now won the Hardrock 100 three times in four tries, setting course records in each of her wins. She started the race in 2021 but dropped out midway through due to stomach issues on the grueling high-altitude course which averages 11,000 feet above sea level. She’s been virtually unbeatable since, but has been a dominant force in ultra-distance trail running since 2017.

Dauwalter has also won UTMB three times, and the Western States 100 , Transgrancanaria 128K, and the Mount Fuji 100 (formerly known as Ultra Trail Mount Fuji) twice. In fact, she hasn’t lost a race she intended to be competitive in since 2019, when she placed 12th in the IAU 24 Hour World Championship in Brive-la-Gaillarde, France.

Dauwalter said she enjoyed going up and over 14,058-foot Handies Peak before sunset and was happy the temperatures cooled off. But she said she was so tired in the wee hours of the morning she had a hallucination of a big flower wearing sunglasses and smiling at her.

“I think the heat of the day worked me pretty hard, and so it felt nice to be in cooler weather for sure,” she said. “But there are quite a few rocky sections, and when you’re running those in the dark, it’s just harder. I think this race is just particularly hard in general. I was hoping this year to come back with the experience of doing it a couple years and not coming off of a race in June like I did last year and feel more fresh and be able to attack the course a little more. But it just was really hard.”

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Beyond Dauwalter’s dominance, the women’s race saw somewhat of a ceremonial changing of the guard with two new faces on the podium. After an incredibly strong and vivacious first half, Bruyas battled through the second half of the gnarly course to take second. She walked into Silverton with her pacers and crew to kiss the rock in 29:28:11. Katharina Hartmuth of Germany hung tough to finish third in 30:29:12.

Pommeret Takes Down Kilian Jornet’s Record

Maybe you forgot that Ludovic Pommeret was the 2016 Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc champion. Or maybe you thought the Frenchman, who turns 49 in nine days, was past his prime. Either way, he reminded us all he’s at the top of not only his game, but the game at the 2024 Hardrock 100.

The Hoka-sponsored runner from Prevessin, France, took the lead less than a third of the way into the rugged 100.5-mile clockwise-edition of the course after separating from countryman François D’Haene, the 2021 Hardrock champion and 2022 runner-up, and never looked back. Pommeret progressively chipped away at the course record splits—a course record, mind you, set by none other than Kilian Jornet in 2022—to win this year’s event in 21:33:12, the fastest time by three minutes in the race’s 33-year history. Jornet set the previous overall course record of 21:36:24, also in this clockwise direction in 2022.

(Pommeret kissed the ceremonial rock at the finish in to complete the course in 21:33:07 at 3:33 A.M. local time, but race officials credited him with the slightly slower official time.)

“It was my dream (to win it),” Pommert told a small collection of fans and media after winning the race at 3:33 A.M. local time. “I was just asking ‘when will there be a nightmare?’ But finally, there was no nightmare. Thanks to my crew. They were amazing. And thanks to all of you. This race is, uh, no word, just so cool and wild and tough.”

A Historic Day

On Friday, July 12, 146 lucky runners embarked on the 2024 Hardrock 100. Run in the clockwise direction this year, it was the “easy” way for the course with a staggering 33,000 feet of climbing thanks to the steep climbs and more tempered, runnable descents.

Combined with relatively cooperative weather (hot during the day on Friday, but no storms) and a star-studded front of the pack , the tight-knit Hardrock 100 community was on course record watch.

And the event delivered—along with a whole lot more.

On the men’s side, the front of the race took a blow before the gun even went off when Zach Miller, last year’s Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc runner-up, was denied entry after undergoing an emergency appendectomy the weekend before.

Despite the heartbreak of being forced to wait another year to participate in this hallowed event, Miller was very much a presence in the race, most notably for slinging fastnachts (Amish donuts) from his van in Ouray for race supporters and fans.

Such is the spirit of this event, deemed equally as much a run as a race.

The men’s race was further upended when D’Haene, in tears surrounded by his wife, three children, and friends, dropped from the race at the remote Animas Forks aid station (mile 58). An illness from two weeks before proved insurmountable for the challenge still to come. That blew the door wide open for the hard-charging leaders ahead.

Pommeret had built a 45-minute lead over Jason Schlarb, an American runner who lives locally in Durango, and Swiss runner Diego Pazos, by the time he had left the 43.9-mile Ouray aid station amid 85-degree temperatures. His split climbing up and over 12,800-foot Engineer Pass (mile 51.8) extended his lead to more than an hour over Schlarb and nearly 90-minutes at the Animas Forks aid station.

“I thought it was great. To run off the front like he did, and then just hold that all day and get the overall course record is pretty awesome,” Miller said. “When Killian did it, two years ago, it was a track race between him, Dakota [Jones], and François, after they got some separation from Dakota, it was Kilian and and François, all the way to Cunningham Gulch (the mile 91 aid station) and then Kilian just torched it on the way in. So yeah, it was super, super impressive for Ludo to do that. That’s a very impressive effort.”

A Blazing Start 

The sleepy historic mining town of Silverton, Colorado was unusually hectic at 6 A.M. on Friday. In the blue hour before the sun poked over the San Juan Mountains looming above, 146 runners toed the start line of the Hardrock 100, marked by flags from the countries represented by competitors on either side of the dirt road.

With the sound of the gun, runners jogged off the start line—their caution a tacit sign of respect for the monumental challenge of what was to come. As the runners passed through town to the singletrack wending its way up to Miner’s Shrine, group of men headlined by  D’Haene, Pommeret, Pazos, and Schlarb quickly took command of the front, the bright yellow t-shirt of Dauwalter was easy to spot just behind, along with Hartmuth and Bruyas.

If they weren’t awake already, runners certainly were after crossing the ice-cold Mineral Creek two miles into their journey before starting the grunt up to Putnam Basin. At the top of a sunny, grassy Putnam Ridge (mile 7) 1:34 into the race, the lead pack of men remained, while Dauwalter had made a statement solo just three minutes back from the men and four minutes up on Hartmuth.

Dauwalter was smiling and chatty when she reached the KT aid station at mile 11.5, in 2:24 elapsed. By Chapman (mile 18.4), four hours in and 10 minutes under her own course record pace, she was pouring water on her head under the blazing sun. Things were heating up—in more ways than one.

It’s a Race!

When Pommeret galloped into Telluride (mile 27.7) after 5:37 of elapsed time in the lead, he was right on Jornet’s course record pace. One minute, some fluids and restocking later, and he was gone.

But wait, it was still a close race! D’Haene charged into Telluride just  two minutes later and hardly stopped before continuing on through downtown before busting out the poles and starting the steep, steep 5,000-foot climb up Virginius Pass to the iconic Kroger’s Canteen aid station nestled into a notch of rock at the top at 13,000 feet.

Not to be outdone, the women’s race proved equally thrilling coming into Telluride. Bruyas bridged the gap up to Dauwalter, and the two ran into town together in 6:25 elapsed. Both took three minutes in the aid station, although that must have been enough social time for Dauwalter, as she pulled ahead marching up the climb, poles out and head down. A bouncy Bruyas alternated between hiking and jogging just behind.

But time again, Dauwalter’s long, powerful stride simply proved unparalleled. By Kroger’s (mile 32.7) Dauwalter had reestablished her lead by five minutes over Bruyas and 17 ahead of Hartmuth in third. She’d built that gap to 10 minutes in Ouray at mile 43.9, but she left that aid station in less than two minutes with a stern, serious look on her face. But as she crested Engineer Pass at the golden hour, wildflowers blanketing the vibrant green hillsides basking in the setting sun, she enjoyed a 30-minute lead in the women’s race and was knocking at the door of the men’s podium.

While Dauwalter forged ahead with her unforgiving campaign for a third straight win, the men’s race started to rumble. Like Dauwalter, Pommeret continued to blaze the lead looking strong as he trotted down Engineer to the Animas Forks aid station at mile 57.9 in 11:39 elapsed. He hardly stopped before continuing on to Handies Peak, which at 14,058 feet marks the high point of the race. He had blown the race wide open.

An hour and 15 minutes later, Schlarb, looking a bit more beleaguered, ran into Animas Forks with his pacer, where he sat down and changed his shirt while receiving a pep talk from his partner and son. But he made quick work of the time off feet nonetheless, and three minutes later he was back at it, seven minutes before Pazos appeared.

While D’Haene arrived just 10 minutes later, he did so in tears, holding the hand of his youngest son. After a considerable amount of time sitting in the aid station, surrounded by his family and crew, he called it quits. The lingering effects of an illness from just 10 days before proved too much to overcome as the hardest miles of the race loomed ahead.

While D’Haene pondered his fate, Dauwalter blitzed into Animas Forks in 13:26 with that same look of determination, 16 minutes ahead of course-record pace. She briefly stopped to prepare for the impending night, picking up her good friend and pacer Mike Ambrose to leave the aid station in fourth overall. Bruyas maintained her second place position 30 minutes back, with Hartmuth in third about 20 minutes behind her.

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Pommeret Extends His Lead

Pommeret continued charging ahead solo, increasing his lead over Schlarb and Pazos by more than two hours late in the race. When Pommeret passed through the 80.8-mile Pole Creek aid station at 10:44 P.M., it shocked the small group of race officials, media, and fans watching the online tracker from the race headquarters in Silverton. Based on that split, it was originally calculated that Pommeret could arrive as early as 2:34 A.M.—which would have been a finishing time of 20:34—but he didn’t run the final 20 miles quite as fast as Jornet did in 2022.

Behind him, Pazos caught Schlarb to take over second place before Pole Creek and increased the gap to four minutes by the Cunningham aid station (mile 91.2). Pazos would outlast Schlarb and finish second in 24:39:33, while Schlarb took third in 24:48:16. Schlarb, who tied for the win with Jornet in the 2016 Hardrock 100, pulled out a mini American flag out of his trail running vest after kissing the rock.

Pommeret, who develops training software for air traffic controls in Geneva, Switzerland, didn’t break into ultra-trail running until 2009 when he was 34 years old. He was third in UTMB that year—behind a 20-year-old Jornet, who won for the second straight year—the first of seven top-five finishes in the marquee race in Chamonix. (He was third in 2017 and 2019, fourth in 2021, and fifth in 2023.) He also won the 90-mile TDS race during UTMB week in 2022, and the 170-kilometer Diagonale des Fous race (Grand Raid La Reunion) on RĂ©union Island in the Indian Ocean in 2021 and placed sixth in his first attempt at the Western States 100 in California in 2022.

Last year, Pommeret placed 13th overall in the Western States 100 and nine weeks later finished fifth at UTMB behind Jim Walmsley, Miller, Germain Grangier, and Mathieu Blanchard.

“We know Ludo is a beast, but to be a beast for so long is so impressive,” Miller said. “He’s 49, which by all means is a capable age in this endurance world. But I think anytime someone 49 does something like that, it’s gonna turn some heads because that would’ve been a really good performance for anyone. To have the track record he’s had—winning Diagonale des Fous, UTMB and Hardrock, that’s pretty impressive.”

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Dauwalter’s Final Race Against the Clock

By the time Dauwalter was pushing her way up the lower approach to 14,058-foot Handies Peak, she had a smile on her face and engaged in playful conversation with media and spectators on the course. She had good reason to smile: she was feeling good and she had increased her 10-minute lead at Ouray to more than 60 minutes. After cresting Handies before sunset, Dauwalter went through the Burrows aid station (mile 67.9) in less than a minute, while Bruyas, who reached the summit in near darkness, came in an hour later and spent four minutes refueling before heading out again.

Three hours after Pommeret had passed through the Pole Creek aid station (mile 80.8), Dauwalter arrived at 1:54 A.M., still in fourth place overall about 50 minutes behind Pazos and Schlarb. She took a little more time there, but was back on her feet in four minutes and running strong again and still on record pace. Bruyas walked in to Pole Creek at 3:08 A.M. in sixth overall, but the gap behind Dauwalter continued to widen. Hartmuth arrived about 25 minutes later, over three hours ahead of Yitka Winn in fourth.

Dauwalter was in and out of the Maggie aid station (mile 85.1) in two minutes and blazed through the Cunningham aid station (mile 91.2) even faster. The race seemed to be in hand at that point with Bruyas more than 90 minutes behind (in fact, someone updated the Hardrock 100 Wikipedia page and declared her the winner not long after Pommeret finished), it was just a matter of how fast she could close the loop.

“I left Ouray quickly because I finally was feeling like my body was running OK,” Dauwalter said. “The whole morning getting to Ouray, none of my systems felt like they were working together. It was a real effort to run. And so when I got to Ouray, things had started clicking and so I just wanted to turn and get out of there and keep the momentum going. So I guess later I was probably smiling more because it’s more fun to run when everything’s working better. But it was really hard. The whole day was really, really hard.”

Women’s Results

1. Courtney Dauwalter, 26:11:49 (course record, 4th overall)
2. Camille Bruyas, 29:28:11 (6th overall)
3. Katharina Hartmuth, 30:29:12 (9th overall)
4. Tara Dower, 33:10:55
5. Yitka Winn, 33:17:00

Men’s Results

1. Ludovic Pommeret, 21:33:06 (course record)
2. Diego Pazos, 24:39:33
3. Jason Schlarb, 24:48:13
4. Jeff Rome, 26:30:52
5. Brian Peterson, 29:36:04

Full results:

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Zach Miller had been looking forward to running the Hardrock Hundred Mile Endurance Run in southwestern Colorado for years.

The 35-year-old runner sponsored by The North Face received entry into the 2024 event via one of race director Dale Garland’s six personal picks, and with a solid regimen of training under his belt, Miller appeared to be one of the favorites for this year’s event on July 12-13. But on July 5, he woke up in Silverton, Colorado, with considerable abdominal pain. Doctors in Durango, Colorado, initially thought he might have been suffering from kidney stones—the pain was consistent to a 25-hour episode he said he suffered in mid-June—but a few hours later, he had an emergency appendectomy via a laparoscopic surgical procedure.

Miller’s appendix didn’t burst, but doctors removed it because they believed it was imminent. But soon after the procedure, he said he started thinking about the chance to be on the Hardrock starting line. He said he was walking around the hospital later in the evening after the procedure, and the next day, after he was released from the hospital, he walked about 3 miles in Durango. The following day, he rode his gravel bike in Silverton without any pain, and the the day after that—three days after the surgery—he was back running the trails around Silverton with mild post-surgical discomfort.

By Wednesday of this week, after running 8 miles and 6 miles on back-to-back days, Miller said he had hoped to start the 100.5-mile event and received verbal consent from his doctor. By Thursday morning, that consent came in written form, which he then submitted to Hardrock officials.

Miller said he had consulted with his doctor, his girlfriend, Jess, and several other people close to him and decided he wanted to continue with his intent to run. He said he didn’t feel any pain running this week, only some slight discomfort from the suture closures at the three point-of-entry holes in his abdomen that provided access for the laparoscopic procedure.

However, the Hardrock board of directors met with its medical advisors on Thursday and decided Miller would be ineligible to start the event. (Hardrock officials did not respond to RUN’s request for an interview or statement about the situation.)

“The recovery’s been really smooth, every day’s been better,” Miller said Thursday afternoon. “I ran the past four days and biked the other, and I felt surprisingly good. Honestly, I felt like I could go out there and give it a good hard go. Would I have? I don’t know, but I felt like there was a shot.”

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Looking Forward

Miller said he understands the liability and safety concerns—both for his health and for the heightened potential of on-course evacuation if a problem did arise—and respects Hardrock’s decision.

“I think if they gave me the green light, it was pretty much decided I was going to go for it,” said Miller, who finished second at the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc in Chamonix, France, last summer. “But we didn’t get it, and that’s just the way it is, so I’ll just move on from here. There’s definitely some disappointment, but it was a difficult and unexpected situation, and nobody wanted to be in that situation and making those decisions. As much as it hurts, it’s understandable, and it’s the responsible thing to do.”

 

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In the months leading up to Hardrock, Miller training in Bend, Oregon, Manitou Springs, Colorado, and eventually Silverton. He said he hopes to maintain his fitness and then pivot to another event or a potential attempt in the near future, but said on Thursday he hadn’t yet thought about that in detail.

On Thursday evening, after learning he wasn’t going to be able to run, he went on a two-hour run near Silverton that covered 12 miles with 1,200 feet of vertical gain.

“There are still some good races left for the year and there’s always plenty of projects and FKTs to consider so the fitness I’ve enjoyed from the training doesn’t have to be wasted,” he says. “It’s still there and I can hopefully go use it somewhere else.”

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Ultrarunner extraordinaire Courtney Dauwalter has picked up in 2024 right where she left off last year. After famously winning three of ultrarunning’s most epic races  during the span of about nine weeks last summer—Western States 100, Hardrock 100, and Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc—the 39-year-old athlete from Leadville, Colorado, in a decisive wire-to-wire win in late February and won the Mount Fuji 100-miler for the second time on April 27, placing third overall. She’s now gearing up to go for a third straight win at the Hardrock 100 on July 12-13 in Silverton, Colorado. After Hardrock, she’ll be crewing and pacing her husband, Kevin Schmidt, at the Leadville 100 on August 17-18, and then tackling a yet-unannounced trail running project in September.

We caught up with Dauwalter to talk about her fueling and training in a virtual press conference, where she announced the May 20 release of her signature flavor of Tailwind Nutrition Endurance Fuel——as a permanent part of the brand’s lineup. Since she’s emerged as one of the world’s top trail ultrarunners, she’s been known for having a sound approach to nutrition and fueling, never shying away from eating whatever she wants, admitting her soft spot for candy and pastries, or having a beer every now and then if she feels like it.

RUN: How did you develop such a sensible approach to nutrition and fueling, and what, if anything, have you changed?

DAUWALTER: I am still eating all of my favorite things whenever they sound good in quantities that sound good, and I am not intending to change that part of my life, because it just gives me a lot of joy to live that way. I guess it’s got to be partly my upbringing, and also with Kevin and I, our idea of how we want to live our lives is to enjoy it to its fullest while it’s here. We just want to enjoy food, enjoy meals out, enjoy the cravings that we have, and not worry about it. But I would say in the past couple of years I do more consistently do a recovery drink after a long run or after putting in big efforts, and that’s something that I was a little more lax with originally, so I feel like that’s a step in the right direction.

What was your fueling strategy when you first got into ultrarunning in 2011?

When I first got into ultrarunning, I had no nutrition plan. I didn’t know what I was doing. My first race was a 50K, and I remember not knowing that these aid stations would be buffets. My mind was blown when I got to them—all the options were overwhelming. I just started filling my pockets with jelly beans. In those first years, I did a lot of mimicking of what the people around me were doing. So if I came to an aid station and someone was grabbing pickles and drinking Mountain Dew, then that’s what I would do. If they were grabbing pretzels and cheese cubes, that’s what I would go for. It was just kind of roulette for me on what I would end up eating—if it would work, or if it wouldn’t work.

You have told stories about a few famous bonks early in your career. When did you start to dial-in your fueling strategy?

Initially, I never had a fueling plan at all. But then in 2017, I went to the in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and Tailwind was available on course at all of the aid stations. I had a buddy who had started using it that year, and I remember just loving it and suddenly not having all the stomach issues and energy dips that I often had. I was like, ‘Oh, maybe this is what it’s like to have something reliable.’

What is your current approach to race-day nutrition?

At this point we’ve gotten pretty dialed on the race nutrition plan for those 10-to 24-hour efforts or the events of 100 miles or below. I’m not a person who has my watch beeping at me ever to remind me to eat. I don’t get those kinds of reminders, and I don’t want to eat every 15 minutes or 30 minutes during a race. I’m going to just slow drip the calories I have as often as possible—basically it’s an eating contest on the move. Now I know my body functions pretty well with about 200 calories per hour during those efforts. So, depending on the distance between aid stations, I can rely solely on a bottle of Tailwind and then supplement with some chews or waffles or gels, because usually I get actually hungry feeling and having something solid helps with that. But mostly, I’m relying on Tailwind as my backbone to the whole plan and generally aiming for that 200-calorie-per-hour benchmark.

You had to overcome some stomach challenges in UTMB in 2022 and then at last year’s UTMB you seemed as physically challenged as you have ever been. How have you adjusted your fueling in those situations?

The past couple years (working with a nutritionist friend), we’ve been better at creating A, B, C and D plans—because sometimes the perfect nutrition plan that you have relied on isn’t going to work. Our approach is that’s fine, and here are some things you can start subbing in during a race that can cover your needs. I view race nutrition like a puzzle piece, and sometimes it fits into the puzzle right where we want it to, and sometimes we have to kind shift things around a little bit. I think one of the reasons a lot of us love ultrarunning is because, when things just aren’t going to plan, we have to problem-solve it.

You’ll be doing a lot of your pre-Hardrock training in and around Leadville between 11,000 and 14,000 feet above sea level once the spring snow subsides. How are you able to fuel at such high altitudes?

That’s one thing I’m hoping to focus on a little bit more on in this buildup and this prep for Hardrock, because in the past couple times I’ve run it, I’ve struggled a little bit with taking stuff in. I would love to just try to intentionally train my stomach to be better at taking in those calories while pushing hard at 12,500 feet or 13,000 feet just to see if we can make some strides forward. So stay tuned on if that works or not.

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Do you have any bucket list events you want to tackle in the coming years?

Not specific things. I think I want to just keep finding the challenges that intrigue me and fire me up to keep putting in the work, the training, the time, the effort to go after them. And so whatever that is, there’s not a list of things I want to check off necessarily, but, I’m continuing to pour myself into this sport and see what’s possible while every one of my systems [muscular, digestive, endocrine, cognitive, emotional, etc.] is allowing that to happen. The Leadville 100 is on my short list of races I would love to do as soon as I can, but as far as a bucket list in general or what intrigues me, I’m still very interested in exploring the longer stuff and how our brains and our bodies can work together to take us over 100 miles. What does that look like to move efficiently for 200 miles or 500 miles? So that’s where I am putting a lot of my attention into—just finding ways to test myself on stuff that’s really long.

You got into ultrarunning through running road races. Would you ever run another marathon?

I am interested in trying a road marathon again at some point because that was what led me to ultrarunning.. I didn’t think I could make that distance, but I finished without dying and then wondered, ‘What else is out there that sounds too hard that I could try?’ And then I stumbled into the ultrarunning world. In those first marathons, I was a casual runner. I ran every day before work because it made me feel better to start the day, but I wasn’t doing huge miles or running quickly.  So circling back to run a road marathon would be kind of fun.

You’ve talked a lot about your eagerness to enter the pain cave when you’re racing. How did that begin?

I definitely didn’t invent it, and I don’t know who did originally, but I know that for me that phrase just became this imagery that I really grabbed onto—as opposed to the struggle bus or the hurt locker or the many other terms. That one for me was visually something I could see, and it was something that I could work with to be productive. Back in high school, I had a cross country skiing coach who was big on the mental side of the sport and would always remind us and believe in our capacity to push past that moment when it feels like you have nothing left. He was huge on just the idea that there’s always one more gear. So I just crank the knob and believe that it can be cranked a little bit more. Having someone who believed in me so wholeheartedly that I could trust to keep pushing was important because it’s hard to do that when you’re any age, but for sure it’s hard to do when you’re a teenager. The idea that you feel like you’re about to die and yet you’re telling me there’s more to push past that? That’s hard to learn. So I feel really lucky that I had that coach and to learn about that mental side of sports and digging deeper than you think.

You ran the Javelina 100K in Arizona with your mom last October. What was that like? And what has been the lasting effect?

That was so special,  a highlight of my life for sure. We ran together through the desert in Arizona, side by side the whole time through all the highs and lows, and made it to that finish line. I’ll remember that forever, and that gift that she gave me of doing this thing with me and the sport I love and spending so much time preparing for it. She was training hard back home in Minnesota, trying to learn how to run trails, trying to power hike hills, and learning how to use all of the gear because she had never really run trails before. I think the domino effect is that you can start anything at any age. She was 66 when we ran this race together and 64 when she started this journey into trail running. I had told her my dream was to run an ultra with my mom, and now that she has completed a 100K, she has found a lot of joy in the trails. Even though we don’t have a race on the calendar together yet, she is still just finding that peace that the trails bring her, and it’s something she incorporates into her weekly life. I think that’s really cool, and it’s why I hope more people can find out about trail running—not necessarily even ultrarunning—but just getting out on the trails and exploring a little bit because that feeling of moving with your feet surrounded by nature and feeling so small in a big landscape is really, really cool.

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What do you hope runners of any level take away from your success?

My hope is that people hearing about the stuff that I’m doing or that the ultrarunning community is doing helps them believe they could go after something that sounds too hard or something that sounds crazy. Whether that’s running 100 miles or 200 miles or not. We can all find that thing in our lives that we can go after with a little more gusto and raise the bar for ourselves on what we’re actually aiming for. I also hope I can be a small example that you can work really, really, really hard at something and have a lot of fun doing it. Those things can happen at the same time and there’s no reason to separate them. I never predicted this chapter in my life, but I feel grateful every day for it. I’m just trying to squeeze as much living out of this period of life as I can.

RELATED: How Did Courtney Dauwalter Get So Damn Fast?

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I really love dogs. All kinds of . I have two and relish running trails with them. They’re a gift of companionship, loyalty and playfulness that’s nearly impossible to match in this world.

But there’s nothing I loathe more than getting charged by a dog that’s off leash while I’m out running on a trail.

It can be downright scary, especially if I’m running with one of my dogs. Is the oncoming dog going to attack me? Or my dog? It sure seems that way. Why else would they be charging full-throttle in my direction?

Here’s the thing: I have been bitten by five dogs in my life and four of those have come while running trails. I have scars to prove it, including one permanent scratch mark left from a Doberman’s fang in awkwardly close proximity to my junk. (OK, maybe that’s the real reason I find a charging dog so damn scary.)

As much as I love dogs, love running with dogs and think it’s great that people take their dogs running and hiking, I’m often puzzled at dog owners I encounter on the trails who let their dogs roam free and don’t seem to have a care in the world how their canine companion approaches other people and pups. I understand that an oncoming runner can seem threatening, although not one like me who is often chugging along at an ultra shuffle pace. But what I am more perplexed about is why those dog owners don’t seem to realize the magnitude of the problem.

Often I’ll hear something like, “It’s OK! My dog is friendly. He won’t bite.”

Um, sure, but he has teeth and he’s running at me with his mouth open like I have chunks of sirloin steak hanging from my hydration pack, so I’m not really sure I should believe you.

Worse than that, I typically hear nothing at all, partially because the oncoming dog is barking so loudly that your annoyingly passive voice got drowned out. Depending on direction of the wind, those aggressive barks often sound pretty gangster to me. “Woof! Woof! I’m coming to tear the flesh from your bones, you slow-assed, hobby jogger! Woof! Woof!”

It’s almost like a cartoon, but it’s a real live foaming-at-the-mouth wolf-dog. Still, if it was a cartoon dog in pit-bull pajamas I encountered in a dream, I might still be just as terrified.

Usually—but not always—just as the dog gets close to me, I come to realize it’s just a bluff charge and not a blitzkrieg that ends in a bite. The dog typically darts into a wide arc and starts bouncing around, playfully wagging its tail as if it’s ready for some good-natured roughhousing.

I’m sure it’s a common dog behavioral trait, but how the f#%& am I supposed to know that?

Although I’ve gotten rushed many times (and, yes, bitten by only a few), I rarely say anything to the dog owner. Unfortunately, most of the ill-repute dog owners don’t even acknowledge the terrifying experience I just went through.

But one time after getting charged by some sort of smallish but aggressively barking white terrier while running on a popular trail recently with Sandy, my playful but decidedly anti-social Airedale, I decided to politely speak up.

“Hey, it would be great if you could control your dog,” I said genuinely after the incident had calmed down. “That was a bit stressful there for us.”

To which the middle-aged woman holding a leash and walking toward me responded: “F*#% you! Dogs are allowed off-leash here. She isn’t bothering you!”

Well, no, she isn’t now, I thought, but I was pretty clear that I was referring to that horrific moment about 30 seconds ago when I nearly wet myself because all that stood between me and her dog’s teeth was a skimpy pair of nylon split shorts. I was at a loss for words on that one, so I just rolled my eyes and ran on by.

But then something magical happened. As Sandy and I continued on our way, her dog, aka, Chewy, took chase again and ran after us.

Oh, I thought, this is a game I can win. Sandy instinctively started running at tempo pace along the meandering singletrack and I followed suit. Chewy took the bait and tried to keep up. I could hear someone who sounded a lot like the leash-carrying vixen in the distance yelling for Chewy at the top of her lungs, but Chewy was apparently hard of hearing or just didn’t care.

By then we were easily 200 yards down the trail and picking up speed. Suddenly, I realized the three of us were all in full gallop and enjoying an idyllic trail run, a 10-legged blur of furry paws, and dusty Altras.

“Come on, Chewy, good girl! Come on, girl, you can keep up!” I heard a voice exclaim that oddly sounded a lot like mine.

By now we were a good quarter-mile away from the scene of the faux-attack and I can only assume that Melanie Manners was starting to get concerned. Sandy and I beelined for the open-space gate about 100 yards ahead and Chewy, of course, kept coming.

We all arrived at the same time, so I opened the gate and we all entered that next section of the park together and discovered a huge sloppy mud puddle in front of us. I controlled Sandy on her leash, but she wasn’t particularly interested in the sloppy mud. Chewy, however, was hot and thirsty and riled up, so she waded right in, and, given her hyperactive predilection, not only gulped up some of the dirty water but also rolled around in it a bit, immediately making her look like a dirty dish rag that had just swiped up spilled gravy.

Oh, that ought to do it, I thought, as I spied Chewy’s panicked owner briskly walking toward us from about 200 yards away. I jumped back and forth excitedly with Sandy’s leash in my hand as I called Chewy’s name, encouraging her to keep rolling around. Sandy played along with a couple of instigating barks and Chewy did the rest of the dirty work herself.

At that point, I opened the gate and sent her on her way back to her kind-hearted owner, offering a wave to the woman in distance. Sandy and I continued on our way, snickering as we trotted along the singletrack back to my truck.

This article was originally published on .

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Sisay Lemma of Ethiopia almost did the unthinkable at the Boston Marathon on Monday morning, while American Emma Bates sure tried to.

The 33-year-old Sisay not only ran away from a very strong field to win, but he briefly teased spectators and fans with an unfathomably fast pace. Lemma, who entered the race as the fourth-fastest marathoner in history (2:01:48), came through the halfway point in 1:00:19, which meant he was on sub-2:01 pace and ahead of world-record pace. Although he slowed considerably over the second half of the race, Lemma held on to win in 2:06:17, the 10th fastest time in Boston Marathon history.

Bates, the top U.S. runner in the very deep women’s field who had been fifth in the race a year ago, surged numerous times throughout the race and was still in the lead near mile 20. But Bates and several other runners in the women’s lead pack fell off the pace when the race turned into an exceptionally fast three-way tussle between Kenyans Sharon Lokedi, Hellen Obiri, and Edna Kiplagat.

After Obiri, the race’s defending champion, and Lokedi, the 2022 New York City champion, were able to shake 43-year-old Kiplagat with an exhilarating 15:05 5K split late in the race, Obiri and Lokedi continued to battle over the final two miles, with Obiri successfully defending her title in 2:22:37, eight seconds ahead of Lokedi. Kiplagat, finished third in 2:23:21, while Bates, who wound up as the top American in the women’s race in 12th place (2:27:14).

In the men’s race, Lemma outran compatriot Mohamed Esa (2:06:58) and two-time defending champion Evans Chebet (2:07:22), who valiantly tried to chase down the breakaway leader to no avail. Although he was ahead of record pace early, Lemma didn’t come close to the Boston Marathon course record of 2:03:02 (set by Geoffrey Mutai in 2011), but he made amends for a disappointing race in Boston in 2022, when he ran with the leaders through the first 16 miles but fell off the pace and eventually dropped out of the race.

“Because there were no pacemakers, I decided I wanted to run fast early” Lemma said through an interpreter at the finish line. “The course was very up and down the whole way. But I was able to hold the pace and they couldn’t catch me.”

Lemma and Obiri each won $150,000 for their victories and likely secured a spot on their country’s Olympic teams for the Paris Olympics this summer.

CJ Albertson was the top American in the men’s race, finishing seventh in 2:09:53, followed by Elkanah Kibet in 14th in 2:12:32—just 72 days after both had run in the U.S. Olympic Trials in Orlando.

Lemma Bursts Ahead of the Men’s Pack

The weather conditions were ideal at the start of the men’s race at 9:37 A.M.—clear and calm, 56 degrees, blue skies and sunshine. A large pack of men started off at a moderate pace through the 5K (14:21), before Lemma burst ahead to a huge, 25-second lead by the 10K (28:28).

From there, the eight runners in the chase pack, including two-time defending champion Evans Chebet, seemed content to let Lemma go. And go he did. By the tie he reached the 15K mark (42:43), he had expanded his lead to 81 seconds and was so far ahead, the chase pack was no longer visible on TV broadcasts. The chase pack began working as Chebet seemed to push the pace knowing that Lemma might be getting away, but he kept increasing his lead

Lemma continued to surge and was a minute ahead of course-record pace at halfway mark (1:00:19) and more than 90 seconds ahead of the men’s pack. The men’s pack came through nearly two minutes later at 1:02:08, and that’s when Chebet and fellow Kenyans Albert Korir, John Korir and Cybrian Kotut, along with Ethiopia’s Haftu Teklu and Morocco’s Zouhair Talbi started to push the pace in an attempt to chase down Lemma. Kibet was the top U.S. runner at that point, running in the secondary pack as he came through the halfway mark in 1:03:15.

Lemma began to slow down on the Newton Hills, but he maintained his two-and-a-half-minute lead even as Kibet had started to pull away from the rest of the men’s pack in hot pursuit. Talbi, a runner coming off a second-place finish at the NYC Half Marathon on March 17, took over the chase pack in the middle of the Newton Hills, fueling the hope that they might catch Lemma.

By the time Lemma came through the 20-mile mark at 1:33:48, his lead was 2:45 ahead of the pack. Lemma was still in control as he went over Heartbreak Hill near mile 21, but he didn’t look nearly as good during the ensuing descent as his leg turnover was slowing as his lead was quickly cut by 30 seconds by the fast-moving chase group. Chebet and John Korir managed to cut Lemma’s lead to about 90 seconds over the next 3 miles, but they ran out of real estate as Lemma ran strong enough to seal the victory.

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Bates Pushes the Pace in the Women’s Race

In the women’s race, a massive pack of 21 runners stuck together as they ran through the initial 5K in a conservative 16:36 split. But after that Bates went off the front and took a 10-meter lead for a stretch, only to be absorbed back into the lead pack as it came through the 10K in 33:27. But Bates moved to the lead again, only to be pulled back into the pack a few miles down the road at the 15K (9-mile) mark as they came through in 50:58, still on 2:20 pace.

The women’s lead pack was still 20 runners strong as it came through the Wellesley College “scream tunnel” near mile 12.5—including Bates and fellow American Sara Hall, Ethiopian Ababel Yeshaneh, and Kenyans Kenyan Hellen Obiri, Mary gugi, Edna Kiplagat, and Sharon Lokedi. After slapping high-fives with dozens of spectators, Bates surged to the lead again and took the group through the halfway mark in 1:12:33.

American Des Linden, the 2018 Boston Marathon champion who was running the race for the 11th time, had been behind the lead pack from the start, but suddenly caught up to the conservative pace of the lead group and briefly took the lead near mile 15. Her showing among the leaders was brief, but even after she lost contact the women’s lead 19-runner lead pack remained pretty bunched up through the Newton Hills.

Bates made another big move near the 30K mark (18.6 miles) as she briefly opened up a 3-second lead on the pack with a 1:43:27 split. But the women’s pack was still a dozen deep after going over Heartbreak Hill, setting up the breakaway surge from Kiplagat, Obiri, and Lokedi over the blazing final miles.

RELATED: Women’s Field Is Set To Dazzle at the 2024 Boston Marathon

Switzerland’s Hug, UK’s Rainbow Cooper Win Wheelchair Races

Switzerland’s Marcel Hug won the men’s wheelchair race for a seventh time in a course record 1:15:33—despite taking a tumble late in the race. He said the crash was the result of putting too much pressure into a turn, but he was able to pop up and recover almost immediately.

“I love Boston, I love the crowd,” Hug said. “It’s a great course, a fast course. The crowd here is just amazing.

British athlete Eden Rainbow Cooper (1:35:11) outlasted Manuela Schar (1:36:11) in the women’s wheelchair race, winning her first World Marathon Majors race.

“It was such a mentally tough challenge,” Cooper said. “I started two years ago and gave it absolutely everything, and I can’t believe it.”

2024 Boston Marathon Results

Men’s Results

1. Sisay Lemma, Ethiopia, 2:06:17
2. Mohamed Esa, Ethiopia, 2:06:58
3. Evans Chebet, Kenya, 2:07:22
4. John Korir, Kenya, 2:07:40
5. Albert Korir, Kenya, 2:07:47
6. Isaac Mpofu, Zimbabwe, 2:08:17
7. CJ Albertson, U.S. 2:09:53
8. Yuma Morii, Japan, 2:09:59
9. Cybrian Kotut, Kenya, 2:10:29
10. Zouhair Talbi, Morocco, 2:10:45

14. Elkanah Kibet, U.S., 2:12:32
15. Ryan Eller, U.S., 2;15:22
18. Patrick Smyth, U.S., 2:15:45

Women’s Results

1. Hellen Obiri, Kenya, 2:22:37
2. Sharon Lokedi, Kenya, 2:22:45
3. Edna Kiplagat, Kenya, 2:23:21
4. Buze Diribi, Ethiopia, 2:24:04
5. Senbere Teferi, Ethiopia, 2:24:04
6. Mary Ngugi, Kenya, 2:24:24
7. Workenesh Edesa, Ethiopia, 2:24:47
8. Fatima Gardadi, Morocco, 2:24:53
9. Tiruye Mesfin, Ethiopia, 2:24:58
10. Dera Dida, Ethiopia, 2:25:16

12. Emma Bates, U.S., 2:27:14
14. Sara Hall, U.S., 2:27:58
15. Des Linden, U.S., 2:28:27

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When you’re in San Diego and a friend tells you to head south and meet him across the border, the first images that come to mind are those of the raucous tourist experiences available in Tijuana, Mexico.

But my friend promised pristine, high-desert running trails, a relaxing, secluded vibe and an exquisite dining just a stone’s throw south of the U.S.-Mexico border, so I knew he must have had another destination in mind. I took his word for it, and I wasn’t disappointed.

After driving about an hour southeast of San Diego to an international border crossing at Tecate, I arrived at Rancho La Puerta, a family owned wellness resort and spa that dates back to the early 1940s.

For much of that time, the resort focused on the promotion of healthy living with regular fitness and organic food connected by an ethos of personal and planetary wellness and sustainability. But in recent years, the remote ranch in the valley at the base of Mount Kuchumaa has engaged guests with . The 4,000-acre property, which backs up to the U.S.-Mexico border, has more than 40 miles of both smooth dirt trails and a few rocky, technical routes that weave around the resort’s organic farm, peaceful oak groves and robust vineyards, as well as semi-wild mountainous terrain.

Rancho La Puerta / Mexico

For four days, I ran twice a day in what was essentially my own personal training camp, often with the resort’s expert-level guide, Martin Ruiz, leading the way. I watched the sun rise on several early morning runs, dug deep into the grind of a challenging session of hill repeats, then rejuvenated myself with daily yoga, strength, stretching and other holistic wellness classes. (I even dabbled in meditation and tried a sound healing class.)

But mostly I just immersed myself in the natural goodness all around me, relaxing at the hot pools, getting treatments at the spa, and refueling on the resort’s scrumptious lacto-ovo pescatarian fare—which, in addition to a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, included dairy, eggs and seafood but no meats or poultry—at both its main dining hall and La Cocina gourmet cafe and cooking school.

Most of the locally inspired delicacies come from the Northern Mexican roots of chef Reyna Venegas—including Mexican corn chowder, ranch tamales, chile rellenos, and zesty Tecate-style Halibut—but equally memorable were the savory, yellow split pea soup, fresh spinach lasagna and homemade pasta with porcini mushrooms. (I didn’t imbibe any alcohol on this trip, but happy hour for many ranch guests included enjoying a glass of artisanal Guadalupe Valley chardonnay while watching the sun drop toward the horizon from the Bazar Del Sol outdoor dining area.)

Although my trail running stint at Rancho la Puerta was relatively brief, it was enriching and transformative. I left the resort feeling healthy and rested, and I continued to embrace the “siempre mejor” vibe that it has celebrated since its inception. That slogan translates to mean “always better,” although , who is now 101 and still active at the resort, has always interpreted it to mean “always changing,” and that’s certainly something any trail runner can relate to.

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Related: Discover other travel adventures at șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű 

Other Running Vacation Destinations to Explore

Run the Alps / Chamonix, France

If you’re an intermediate to advanced trail runner with an adventurous mindset at a passport, you need to consider putting a multi-day run around the Tour du Mont-Blanc (TMB) high on your bucket list. That’s the 103-mile route that circumnavigates the Mont Blanc massif—the highest mountain in Western Europe—while sending runners from Chamonix, France, through parts Italy and Switzerland before finishing back in Chamonix. While the 15,777-foot peak is a majestic sight to behold, the trail running around its lower flanks feels like a scene out of the Sound of Music—especially when you’re doing it with a jovial group organized by Run the Alps.

The Chamonix-based tour group was founded in 2017 by American ex-pat Doug Mayer, who has been trail running in the region for more than 20 years. Run the Alps has become the premier trail running travel organization in the region, not only because it has great guides and special guests—including both Courtney Dauwalter and Mirna Valerio last summer—but because it takes pride in making sure everyone is having fun, enjoying the running and mountain scenery, and eating amazing meals, no matter what their experience level is.

As much as the TMB route is a classic route, it’s certainly not the only spectacular tour on the Run the Alps roster. It also offers multi-day trips over the Haute Route—a summertime version of the classic backcountry skiing route between Chamonix and Zermatt, Switzerland—and a six-day inn to inn route through the Bernese Oberland region of Switzerland that connects remote several mountain villas between Schwarzwaldalp and MĂŒrren. Run the Alps has something for everyone: fully guided tours, self-guided tours, custom tours and the ability to hire private guides for single-day runs. Each one offers authentic trail running in the heart of the Alps with a distinct European flair.

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ZAP Running Vacations / Blowing Rock, North Carolina

Nestled in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina, ZAP Running Vacations has long been connected to the ZAP Endurance elite athlete training hub. For more than 20 years, coaches Pete and Zika Rea (and more recently Ryan Warrenburg and Matt LoPiccolo) have trained postcollegiate American runners to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon and other high-level domestic races. The program has helped elevate numerous national-class runners through the years, including Tyler Pennel, a 2:12 marathoner, and two-time U.S. Olympic Trials competitor (fifth in 2016, 11th in 2020) who is a top contender once again at this year’s Olympic-qualifying race in Orlando, Florida, on February 3, and Tristin Van Ord (2:25:58), who is a top contender in the women’s Olympic Trials race.

Those athletes serve as running guides and coaches at ZAP’s weeklong running vacations and weekend retreats, both of which include all aspects of training (nutrition, strength training, running form, mental race prep) plus individualized video gait analysis and small breakout groups about injury prevention. The retreats were previously hosted at the ZAP Endurance compound deep in the holler below Grandfather Mountain, but this year adult participants will stay in upscale accommodations at Chetola Resort in downtown Blowing Rock. Most of the running will still take place on the 25 miles of smooth, crushed gravel bridle paths at Moses Cone Memorial Park, an idyllic 3,600-acre getaway that features lush forests, endless wildflower meadows and placid lakes and about 600 feet of elevation gain. What makes ZAP retreats so rewarding is the sense of community that quickly emerges among running partners of all ability levels and the running-related storytelling that takes place over meals and after hours during relaxation time.

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Run Wild Retreats, Moab, Utah

Elinor Fish started organizing women’s running retreats almost 15 years ago with a focus on mindfulness long before it became a trendy topic. Now Run Wild Retreats offers a wide range of running getaways all over the world (including Moab, Utah) for all levels of runners interested in mindful running, culturally immersive trips or pushing the limits of adventure. Run Wild Retreats supports participants holistically, not just as a runner, mother, friend, community member or hard-charging upwardly mobile professional. The getaways help runners find a safe space to let go of all the stress and expectations to run unburdened without pressure, creating a platform for participants to run with both power and ease, lighten their emotional load to build confidence and tap into an infinite source of motivation.

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Trail Sisters “Run With Her” Women’s Trail Running Retreats / Boulder, Colorado

Gina Lucrezi formed Trail Sisters as a means to not only provide easier access to trail running for women, but to inspire more women to be inspired to run trails on a regular basis. The Trail Sisters “Run With Her” Women’s Trail Running Retreats are geared for all ability levels of runners. All paces are accommodated and one gets left behind. There’s no better place to hold these camps than Boulder, Colorado, one of the trail top trail running destinations in the U.S. Aside from daily runs on Boulder’s vast network of trails, participants will take part in workshops and educational sessions aimed at building trail skills, learning about gear, developing strategies for fueling and hydrating and enhancing moments out on the trails.

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Run Mindful Trail Running and Meditation Retreats / Applegate, Oregon

Timothy Olson has earned a reputation as a competitive ultrarunner who’s earned numerous podium finishes, but what he, and his wife, Krista, are really known for with their trail running retreats are their perpetuation of mindfulness, a love of nature and a nurturing community among participants. Their retreats teach runners to live in the moment while connecting with the environment, how to bring meditation into both running and daily life, embrace a well-rounded, healthy diet of organic whole foods while also running the stunning mountain and forest trails of Southern Oregon.

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Related: The Best Health and Wellness Retreats in the World

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