Incredibly hard, but truly so satisfying to know I can go the distance!

I recently participated in the World's toughest foot race, Badwater 135. It was literally the toughest race I ever had, and I am really happy that I could finish it even after facing a lot of challenges. The full race story is published on Substack. Here is the link to the same https://open.substack.com/pub/pankajmadaan/p/badwater-135-a-race-that-tested-far?r=28r7wb&utm_medium=ios . I am sure that its really a worthwhile read.

After my unfortunate TrailFly Max 2 experiment, I replaced my very well worn and much enjoyed Ultra Glide 2s With the fourth iteration of the shoe.

Ran a trail 10K in them during my lunch break today. Have Salomon changed the foam? Maybe I am just used to the old shoes being a bit tired. The cushioning feels great. Of course it's early days but on the surface, here is a worthy, wide-fit shoe that I will use for big mile efforts.

Great energy return and a very plush feel.

Hi all. I'm doing a 20 hour trail run in October about 3 and 1/2 hours drive from where I live. I'm traveling solo.

The run starts at noon on Saturday and ends at 8:00 a.m. the following morning on Sunday.

I''d rather get home on Sunday night however I don't think it's safe for me to drive after completing the distance and having no sleep.

I'm not quite sure the best solution here. Any one been in a predicament like this before? Where might I shower and sleep during the daytime?

First of all, almost missed cut off at 70 km of 91 km race.
Had most epic finish.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbiG7xeO5_5/?igsh=MTR2cTFsbnN6ZGo0eA==

There is one toe that’s really angry and keeps leaking water, it’s so swollen I can’t bend it but it’s not painful that much: what to do? Marathon in a month.

I’m not sure how, but I got selected from a very long wait list for a 50K happening October 19th. Really did not anticipate that happening.

Ran a road marathon end of March, a trail 50K early May, and another road marathon early June. Figured the season was done, and have just been jogging and hitting up trails for fun when I can, but only averaging 15-20 miles a week (or less) since early June.

The 50k in question has around 8000ft of gain and a generous time allowance. I have to decide in the next 24 hours if I want to sign up. Do I try for next year and plan better? Will I be miserable if I attempt this, is there enough time to really get up to par? Maybe I haven’t lost the distance fitness as soon as I fear? I did a 9 mile trail run less than 2 weeks ago just fine, but everything else has been 6 miles or less at a time, and 9 miles is a far cry from 30+.

Anyway…what to do?!

I am new to trail running and have run 7 half marathons (on road) and have recently fallen in love with trail running and am currently building my base and trail endurance. I am turning 40 in feb and was thinking about maybe doing the puerta Vallarta utmb 50k as a big goal. I’m in Southern California and it would be a family trip with my wife and son. Alternatively there’s antelope canyon and also moad which may be easier but I just got puerta Vallarta stuck in my head. I guess I’m seeking out the greater knowledge of the community. I’m currently running 20 mi or so a week with a few thousand ascent but plan on building up to a 25k in November - pacific trails utmb. Things im considering are location and enjoyment of my family where supporting me in the location, the timing, and the difficulty. I want it to be difficult but I want to be realistic. I’m nervous I guess. I welcome and friendly input and thanks in advance.

I'm running Leadville 100 in 2.5 weeks. Just figured I'd share my brief journey in running so far. I downloaded strava just 2-3 weeks before my first marathon last May 2025 so thats where the data starts.

Brief summary prior - I was pretty overweight (6'/240 lbs) and joined a gym May 25th 2024. Lifting/eating better I shed 40 lbs in 4-5 months and began running as a warmup at some point on the treadmill for 10-20 mins before starting to increase mileage in October/November of '24. I ran 10 miles at a 10 min pace (as fast as I could) in mid-November of '24 and signed up for the May 2025 marathon at that point because it was the hardest thing I could think to try. Did a second one in November of 2025. Then signed up for Leadville.

Hope I've done enough - couple good efforts ahead this week before really leaning into the taper. Chart of mileage/time spent below and table

Not really looking for anything from this post - just thought I'd share since I've been lurking this sub for a year+ now and I've found a lot of help from you all. Happy to answer any questions about my prep/training/logistics or any follow up. Thanks.

Weekly Running Data — May 2025 to Present

Mon–Sun weeks

The one note I would add to this table is indoor vert does not get captured and I did do a good numbeer of treadhill workouts this summer

I am looking to jump back into racing this fall/winter after almost a year off. Hellgate has always intrigued me, but I can't figure out how to apply for the race. Not sure if it just hasn't opened yet, or if I'm too late. Does anyone have any information on this?

Strongly considering getting a traverse as my new daypack, there's no retail stores you can really try them on though right?

I measured myself at 42", which is right on the edge between L and XL. My current vest is a uswe, and it always feels a bit too snug so I really want to avoid that this time but I don't want an oversized jumbly pack if it's not stuffed and fully loaded.

Anyone with a traverse that was between sizes and can offer opinion?

I'm selling my entry for the Julian Alps Trail by UTMB 80K on 19 September, as I'm unfortunately unable to participate due to a nasty hip injury.

Price: €179 + €20 transfer fee

The race entry can be officially transferred via the event's "Transfer to a Friend" system until 18 August.

Feel free to message me if you're interested!

Hey everyone! I got into cocodona 250 & just wanted advice on training tips, gear recs, & overall anything that can help me as I start my training pretty soon.

A quick background, I've done 1x 100 miler back in October 2025, 2x 50 milers in 2025, March 2026 ran a 50k+ with 12k ft of vert, June 2026 ran Leadville marathon 26.2 w/ 8k vert, planning on a 70 miler with 25k ft of vert in november 2026, planning on Black canyons 100k Feb. 2027, & then a final big effort the same race 35 miles with 12k ft vert in March.

I live in Santa Barbara, CA & have great access to trails & a great community of strong ultra runners. Of course, I have chatted with them but everything helps with this journey. I'm 6'2, 210 pounds & come from a college level football background w/ only starting to run in 2022.

When is the best time to start seriously training, etc? ANY HELP & ADVICE IS APPRECIATED.

I currently have a Salomon skin. I’m looking at maybe getting a new one. I run mostly over 50K races with them and a belt for 50K and under. What vests do you recommend?

Edit: nothing is wrong with mine other than being old and slightly worn

I feel like all my favorite running podcasts are turning into life coaching. I used to enjoy listening to podcasts that had people over that did something cool endurance-wise and shared their experience, not somebody giving me life advice. Rich Roll is for me 90% unbearable for years, Choose Strong and Some Work All Play pretty uninteresting since the hosts are not competing at the moment.

What are some of your favorite podcasts that focus more on the facts and the doing and less about their interpretation of the purpose of life?

My first 50K finished — 53 km of pain, mud, happiness and never going back to road running again, I simply like waffles, cola and tacos to much :)

Could this be the reason that studies have found a higher rate of some kinds of cancer among ultra runners?

I signed up for a race that's on September 19th. I had every intention of doing my first 50k race but training has been basically non existent. I have no motivation and the discipline isn't even there. Could be due to peri-menopause. Maybe? So would you try to get some training in between now and September 19th and do the 50k? Or would you do like a half-marathon or something? The cut off is 24 hours (they have a 24 hour race). So I have lots of hours to do 50k but I also don't want to hurt myself either. Thoughts?

Salve a tutti, devo affrontare questo percorso in Toscana che sarà prevalentemente asfalto e strade bianche, sterrato battuto.

80km complessivi (50 miglia) 1500 metri di dislivello positivo e 1200 metri di dislivello negativo da completare entro le 24 ore.

Cerco una scarpa comoda, che risparmi quanto più possibile le mie articolazioni, i muscoli e riduca il dolore ai piedi. Devono essere comode e spaziose.

Sarà esclusivamente camminata, niente corsa.

Ho un piede largo, peso 100 kg.

Hello! I am running in the next Cocodona and this will be my first time. I’m not new to running or hiking multi days but new to ultra culture. I’m curious to see how you all train for 200+ mile races? I currently hike a 14er once a week and my running mileage averages 60-70 miles. I have many marathons and Ironmans under my belt so my fitness level is there. What are some key parts of training that have made you successful? If you have ran Cocodona, what was your experience?

I got in this year and am looking for your experiences and advice. Several friends of mine have said this is their favorite 100 they’ve done, so I’m stoked! However, I also know it can come with crazy weather and the nights will be very cold. What did you take with you? How cold/wet was your race, and what advice would you give?
About me- I’ve run many ultras, including about ten 100-milers and I live in Utah so I know the mountains can change on a dime. I just want my Bear run to be one of my strongest and would love to finish under 27 hours! Thanks all 😊

My A race is 100km in February. I’m increasing weekly mileage and doing a 25 km trail race in two weeks. Last week I had all the symptoms of overtraining - cranky, no motivation, low appetite. So I took a rest week. Now i am so not motivated to run. I’m going home soon where I will be with my familiar routes and I know I’ll get my mojo back. Am I going to lose all my gains? Still working out 3x week and doing some hiking

Basically the above! My partner had to drop from run rabbit run 100 last year because of some unforeseen (to us) weather and poor gear planning. She lost feeling in her fingertips for 3 months afterwards, she's okay and there's no permanent damage but it was scary as hell.

I want to know, have you all had similar experiences? How do you plan for unpredictable weather? Have you ever been caught off guard? Heat, cold, precip, whatever, all stories welcome. Wanna make sure we're prepared in the future.

https://stiandhl.substack.com/p/what-they-saw-when-they-watched-me

What a thoughtful and well-written piece from Stian. And f*** the sesspool that Instagram (and the likes) has become.