Community Race Recommendations
Trail race recommendations with websites you can scroll through at work instead of working because you'd much rather be reading about trail running than doing work
Thank you
Thank you to all of you who submitted your race recommendations, they are fantastic! It’s been really awesome to put a call out to the community and have such amazing responses. We’re a small community even if we are stationed around the world, and posts like this help shine a spotlight on some of those stations that we may never have thought of otherwise (read: NUTS Ylläs Pallas). I certainly had a blast reading about them and checking out the websites myself and I’m certain you will too.
Colorad(Oh-yeah!)
There are certainly some very fun-sounding events going on in the USA, and that’s where the bulk of our recommendations are taking us. Colorado has some great events and was incredibly popular amongst the responses, including friend of the newsletter and podcast, Sarah Lavender Smith, from Telluride, CO. She trained for 5 months before running the San Juan Solstice 50 in Lake City, CO. Here’s what the substack author had to say:
“This 50-miler is a classic high-altitude Colorado mountain race. It starts at 5 a.m. in the historic mining town of Lake City and features three major climbs, the first two gaining more than 4,000 feet elevation. The route follows the Continental Divide Trail above tree line at around 12,000 feet for several miles.
Mid-pack runners can expect to take 13 - 14 hours; the race has a 16-hour limit. Weather can be extreme. It's an "old-school" event in style (low-profile and low-tech) and has been run since 1995. My favorite parts are the views of the San Juan Mountains, the host town that lends so much support, the aid stations featuring home-cooked foods, and the challenge of so much vertical gain in thin air. This is not a beginner's event but it's a great race for more experienced trail runners who want to take on the challenge of the San Juan Mountains.”
Here is Sarah’s race report on her own substack:
Charles from Colorado trained for 6 months before taking on the Never Summer event in Northern Colorado. Featuring a 60km and 100km option and all kinds of vertical, this race sounds challenging:
“It's a very tough course past some top-shelf alpine scenery. Embodies everything great about trail running; grungy, self-reliant, friendly, supportive, and every bit as challenging as you could want. 5:30 am start and a 24 hour limit for the 100k (with 14,000' of gain in there, you're going to need most of that 24 hours!).”
Amie is another substack author I enjoy who loves to trail run. She calls the place between desert and sea home, and she trained for 12 weeks before the Imogene Pass Run. This sounds like another amazing race that knows what they are up to:
“A 17-mile point-to-point race from Ouray, CO to Telluride, with a midpoint peak of 13,000+ feet. Altitude training is essential. Prepare for dramatic shifts in weather, and even more dramatic shifts in emotions and terrain. Summiting is a tremendously moving experience. The aid stations are top-notch; after 48 years, they’ve got this down to a science.”
Rest of the US(eh!)
Here in B.C. it’s very easy to get FOMO throughout the year watching what our neighbours to the south in Washington State are up to. There is all kinds of amazing running going on in the state, and social media puts a spotlight on what a playground it is. Francisco Juarez, from Midway B.C. trained for two months to take part in the Volcanic 25/50 at Mount St. Helens recently. He ran the 25 in hopes of gaining entry to the 50 next year:
“The start/finish line has great atmosphere with lots of runners remaining to cheer in finishers. Families are everywhere and camping as well as a BBQ at the assembly area provides a great festive experience. Mount St Helens is at the end of a long paved park road (heads up, much of the road is heaving with many surprise bumps that will keep you frosty and your suspension working overtime).
The course markings were fantastic and well spaced. The most challenging section to follow the markings was definitely in the boulder field (cones were used). The extended and rugged volcanic boulder scramble occasionally hid the cones, but they were easily found nonetheless.
There were two aid stations for the 25k. AS#1 was at the highest elevation point at the end of the boulder field section (was my favourite part as the south face of Mt St Helens above made my jaw drop). Friendly faces after the climb were welcome. The cheerful volunteers who hauled up all the water and supplies were greatly appreciated. Gels, fruit, PB&J, and liquids (electros and water) hit the spot and the scenery for the welcome pause was fantastic with the summit of the volcano above you in all its glory.
A photographer was also present at the aid stations and occasionally appeared as if by magic at other points. The toughest part was not stopping every two minutes to soak in the majesty of the volcano and take pictures myself.
Be prepared for the heat. Even descending the tree covered terrain was fairly exposed. Large sections of soft, beach like sand also made for a real challenge. It had me wishing for the cold water part of the imaginary beach in my heat fevered brain. Good times. I hope you get a chance to experience this fantastic race.”
Thomas Tan from Sudbury, MA (no big nickel) trained for 16 weeks to run the Vermont 100km Endurance Race, in West Windsor, Vermont. He was super excited to take place in a historic event that was coming back for the first time after Covid:
“This is a well-known ultramarathon, arguably one of the oldest out there. I only did the 100-km course which starts at 9 am. Very well organized and the race director (Amy Rusiecki) and committee are obviously very experienced.
The atmosphere was magical and exciting because this year's event marks the return of Vermont 100 after a 2-year hiatus. This is evident from the many great photos taken by Ben Kimball photography. Every aid station and volunteer was energetic, with some with colorful characters. This is great for boosting the morale for struggling runners.”
Thomas sent a link to his video recap:
Jeremiah from Illinois trained for 3 months and was pumped to do some winter trail running. He was also pumped to give us all something to look forward to in January. The Shippey Endurance Runs take place in Missouri and create quite an atmosphere for their participants:
“With a 20 mile, 40, mile, 100k or 100 mile, and a series of team relay races, there was something for everyone. Jake and Ryan, the race directors did more than just put on an event, they shared their passion of trail running and it didn't go unnoticed. With their dedication and appreciation for all the runners on display everywhere from the pre-race updates, to their service at the aid stations.
The race itself is a fun looped course consisting of mostly single track. But the characteristic that stood out the most was the fact that it takes place in January in Missouri. And spoiler alert, it gets cold in Missouri! What was so awesome about that is the fact that only the most enthusiastic runners show up! They show up to run an extremely challenging course in some extremely challenging elements purely because of their love of the sport. What an amazing thing to be a part of. Can't wait for Shippey 2023!”
Over the Finnish Line
Harry from Finland is a friendly trail runner and always looking to engage about trail running. It’s a fun window into a part of the world I don’t know much about, so it was great to hear about the NUTS Ylläs Pallas (Several distances: 15, 37, 66, 100, 160 & 300km), which takes place in Lapland, Finland. The event started in 2014 and Harry trained for about 3 months to get ready for his race, the 100k:
“The race starts at midnight in front of Pallas Hotel with about 250 runners and the registration fee was 109€. Bus transportation (15€) from the finish line area which is the bigger village in the area (Ylläs). The places are small and not many people are around in summertime, but with the bunch of runners & families there was a proper festival atmosphere. It’s chip timed and a drop bag was delivered to the aid station which was about the halfway point of the race. 5 aid stations, distributed pretty evenly along the route. Water, sports drink available in all, plus bananas, chocolate, potato chips, marmalade. Hot soup + small pizza slice at the halfway point!
The course was extremely well marked with big solid signs/poles along the route and plenty of race specific small orange flags. No need to read maps/no risk of getting lost.
Very enjoyable running throughout the trails. Some more technical sections but overall very good for running. The toughest part was the 80km - 90km section which includes ascents (and descents...) to Ylläs fell and Pirunkuru. These are steep & long hills made of loose boulders the size of your head. Instead of just focusing on getting to the top as fast as possible, had to focus also on staying upright.
Favourite part was the first 3-4 hours of the run: in the midnight sun, up in the fells with fantastic views. Temperature was around 10C (i.e., perfect for running). But watch out for the mozzies (mosquito). Quite a lot of them, especially in the lower areas (like around the aid stations).”
That’s a pretty fun list to dive into! I hope it inspires some of you to check out some new races, or share some information about some of your favourites! It’s so kind of you all to reach out and share with the community so thank you to all those who participated once again.
A few of you have participated in other posts before, which have been pretty popular around here:
This is an awesome community, isn’t it?! Tell your trail running friends about Community Trail Running by forwarding this post to them and we can grow this thing together.
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Glad to see the shoutout to Ben Kimball for his photography! He has covered lots of New England ultras and shorter distances through the years and also written two excellent guide books, TrailRunning Western Massachusetts and the recently released TrailRunning Eastern Massachusetts. Ben's a guy who gives a lot to the community. :-)
Thanks, Adam! I was excitedly daydreaming about the Finnish race until I got to the mosquito part...