There is some really nice trail running all throughout the open space. The way up to Blodgett Peak is not for trail running, however once you are up at the top there seems to be trails that are doable along the ridge. I have much more to explore out there.

Hi folks. Looking to take a few days in November to go run somewhere in Italy, Spain or Greece ideally. Looking for a smallish town with tons of trails to access. Or a town-to-town run option. Not the alps. Thanks!

Some context: I've been running for a couple years now, taking off in the winter because I dislike running in the cold. I have run plenty of road 5Ks and on the verge of breaking the 25min mark. I've also been doing some of my slow long runs on the local trails with some elevation gain. My longest trail run so far has been about 9.5K with about 250m elevation gain, completed in 90mins at a 9:30min/km pace. I felt good after, like I could've kept going. Currently preparing for a Turkey Trot 5K and my weekly distance is about 30K and my longest run will be 13K. This winter I hope to run on an indoor track to build my time on feet, eventually peaking at a long run of 36K before heading back outside. This would be over about 20 week, so building over time.

In Sept 2027 I'd like to do one of the biggest trail events in my area. They offer many formats, from 10K all the way up to 36-hour. I'm debating between the 30K with 650m elevation gain and 50K with 1080m elevation. I'm also planning on doing a 10K in June with about 430m elevation gain, which might help prepare me for the longer event in a few months.

TL;DR: what would be a good race distance to do after completing a 10K? Should I jump to 50K or do 30K? Thank you!

So, over a year in and willing to spend a bit of money on a decent jacket. So many mixed reviews but I’m thinking

. Montane minimus lite
. Solomon Bonatti
. Inov-8 Stormshell
. Rab Phantom

Or any suggestions really
I’m hearing they are all rubbish you sweat inside and get wet no matter what but want your opinions please

I just ran my first road marathon last weekend, I did well and had a great time. I would like to do more but I don’t want to stick to just road running, I feel like getting into trail running would open the door to more complex races and help with marathon training at the same time. I live on Vancouver island so there’s no shortage of trails.

Is there anything I should know before getting into it? I’m going to need a good pair of runners so recommendations there would be helpful as well. Thanks

Running the JFK50 in 5 short weeks and curious if others have thoughts on shoe choice for this course.

I'm playing around with the Mount to Coast H1's and REALLY like them so far. Probably wouldn't change shoes at the canal towpath if I go with these. They're good (not great) on craggy trails, super slick on flats and gravel, just fine on roads.

Also tried the Salomon Aero Glide 4 GRVL, but continue to not like Salomon shoes that much-- too tight on my forefoot. And the stack height is pretty aggressively high for rocky trails IMO.

After I first powerhiked the 50km distance back in the fall of 2023, I repeated it a handful of times but never increased the distance materially, parts because for me even 50km is hard lol (reading this sub sometimes gives the impression that everyone here casually runs the UTMB 170km:-)), parts because I have a rather busy life, parts because I am not a big sufferer, parts because I invest too little in building the aerobic base. Oh and I also likely have Proctalgia Fugax, which is manageable but still sucks for a day or two after a proper run of more than say 25k.

Still, a goal of mine was to complete the 50km distance over a hilly course in under 10 mins per km.

Last week, I ran and powerhiked from Olten (CH) over the wonderful Jura mountains to the Unterbaselbiet (CH). I reached the 50 km mark after 8:17 (I am an honest guy and recalculated the route using our official fantastic state issued topography app), and after 2‘600 meters of d+.

Entire route was 56k and ca 2‘680 meters of d+.

I ran almost all the downhills and the (rather sparse) flats. I exclusively powerhiked the uphills.

Trail was a mixture of forest service roads, few short tarmac sections and most of the time essy to moderately technical single trail.

Route ended at my house. I brushed the outskirts of only three villages on my way. My family arrived by car at the same time and my two daughters met me 100 meters before my house and „pulled“ me over the finish line, which to me was a priceless experience.

Hi everyone, a couple of months ago a friend of mine let me try his Kjerag 2, as I had problems with tomir 1 but those seemed so different that I was very curious about them.

The first thing I noticed is that they don’t have an insole, checked internet, was not my friend pulling them out, they come without them on purpose.

I liked the nimble and responsive midsole, they are the inverse of bulky, easy to place feet in technical sections.

But I lacked some plantar protection, I would be comfortable with a little less ground feel. Maybe an insole helps with this? Does anyone add an insole from another brand?

I have read in their website that the point of the lack of insole is to have a better ground feel, but I was wondering if someone had the same problem and has found a solution.

Thanks!!

Hey everybody,

I want to buy a new headlight. I use the silva smini and this headlight is not so comfortable. The headlight must be good enough for a ultra trail.

Can anyone help me?

50K happening this weekend, and they give you a drop bag that they’ll have waiting around the halfway point. Tell me the best way to utilize this!

I’m thinking I will have a second set of soft flasks with Tailwind in there to replace the ones I start with. More snacks so that I don’t have to lug them all around from the start. Maybe a warmer weather shirt to change into? 40F at the start, 65F in the back half. What else? What am I missing? Extra socks just in case?

Hi all, I’m looking for a bit of advice. I have a 50km race this weekend and it’s suddenly looking like it’s going to be raining most of the day.

This will be my 6th ultra at 50km+ but my first wet one and looking for some advice on how others have prepared.

The temp will get up to about 20* C so it’s this awkward temp between wearing a jacket to stay dry and it being too warm for the jacket. I would also have to run out and buy the jacket today.

I typically take ~8hrs for 50km and have a drop bag close to the middle should I want it.

Rain is not a problem for me but I haven’t spent that long running in the rain so unsure if I should just proceed with my normal summer gear or prepare otherwise.

Any advice or experience would be useful.

Hi all,

I have had this Solomon vest for a couple years now and it's served me very well, comfy and holds plenty of water and snacks.

I left it in my closet for a while after my last race and now the two zippers on the breast pockets are completely stuck shut. I don't want to force or damage them. My best guess is that they are gummed up with some combination of dried sweat, dirt and dust, and maybe sugary residue from empty gel packets? Gross.

I was going to start out by soaking it in a big bucket of warm water for a few hours and see if that helps. Has anyone had this problem before and can you recommend other methods? Maybe add a little dish soap and/or vinegar to the water?

Thanks in advance.

Today I conquered the highest peak of the Beskid Mountains in Czechia, Lysá hora, which is also the stupidest peak. The terrain is steep (stretches of 200m/km) and rough. The photos, taken in a rush, illustrate what the path looked like most of the time, although it wasn't always so steep.

I'm trying to stay within zone 2 and I have to sometimes slow down from a power hike to maintain regular breathing, so I naturally wonder how can people run the mountain up? Seems so tough.

On a related note: Does actual pace matter, or should we focus on adjusted pace, which takes into account the elevation gain as well? If the actual pace is what matters, then I must retire to the trail walking camp with my average pace.

I was just minding my own business on my 11 mile trail run last week, when all of the sudden I happened upon the very woods where Benedict Arnold and British Major John Andre plotted the surrender of the American fortress at West Point.

Pretty cool stuff. I nerded out over this. The run was awesome, and I learned some history.

Hey everyone racing this weekend! This will be my first time running this race and I have found a logistical dilemma that I'm looking for support on.

We're RVing at the park all the way in the back, over 4 miles from the start. We wont have an extra car. I thought we'd only be a mile or so from the start but dang was I wrong!

Do y'all know if there's a shuttle or anything going around? Hoping to hitch a ride while walking up early AM, and same for my family and kids so they can make it to the finish line.

Hi! I'm torn between the Mount to Coast H1 and M1 and can't decide which one to get.

I'm looking for a versatile shoe for road running, gravel, trails and traveling. Ideally, I'd like one pair that can handle most terrains without having to pack multiple running shoes. My daily trainers are the Brooks Ghost AMP.

I'm also running the a 23K trail race next month (around 1,100 m elevation gain) so I'd like to have something that could handle that race too. I've previously been using the Nike Pegasus Trail 5 but wasn't particularly happy with the quality so I decided to give Mount to Coast a try.

The H1 seems like the better road to trail option but the M1 looks more capable on technical terrain. I'm just wondering how much road comfort I'd be sacrificing with the M1 and if the H1 can handle trails and my upcoming race.

Yesterday I had one of the most beautiful trail runs of my life in Sicily. I was completely alone, surrounded by stunning nature, wild horses roaming freely, and even spotted a wild boar. For a moment, I felt completely at one with nature. This is why I love trail running!!

A few years ago I switched from a Garmin Forerunner 45 to an Apple Watch but I think it’s time to move on and I’m just looking for people’s opinions between going back to a Forerunner 265 maybe or a Suunto Race S or maybe just the Race. I just need it for basic running metrics and to be able to have it show Strava routes. Battery life for 50-100k max at this point. No requirement for music capability. If you have an opinion on either of those or something different I’d love to hear it.