Trail Runner #141 July/August 2020

TWO ULTRA PARLEY MADE WITH INTERCEPTED MARINE PLASTIC.

@ADI DASTE RREX © 2020 adidas AG

CONTENTS AUGUST 2020 / ISSUE 141

18

36

An inspiring collection of images from fantastic trails that will have you lacing up and racing out the door.

Five spectacular peaks in the high Swiss Alps for tough trail runners.

By Kim Strom Photos by PatitucciPhoto

2020 Photo Gallery

30 F E AT U R E S

Invisible Walls

Swiss Mix

48

The author takes a 10-day journey to run sections of the United StatesMexico border with the Mexican American mountain runner Mario Mendoza and the Mexican ultrarunner Mauricio Carvajal to explore landscapes, communities and cultures of this unique place at this unique moment.

By Mike Foote Photos by Aaron Colussi

Running In Place

A photographic exploration of what it’s like to run in the San Francisco area in the time of the coronavirus.

Story and photos by Jeff Rueppel

PEOPLE

06

editor’s note

10

faces

62

last gasp EXPLORE

08

favorite trail

14

adventure

Finding connection and meaning at the Caballo Blanco Ultra.

By Canek Pena-Vargas

PERFORM THIS PAGE: Mauricio Carvajal, Mike Foote and Mario Mendoza at the border wall's intersection with the Pacific Ocean.

PHOTO BY AARON COLUSSI COVER: David Kantermo enjoys a lofty ridge run near Pregasina, Italy, above Lake Garda en route to Riva del Garda, where he probably had an afternoon gelato.

PHOTO BY MATTIAS FREDRIKSSON

56

training

Becoming a strong climber may not require as much vert as you think.

By David Roche

TRAIL

one dirty magazine (USPS 024-696, ISSN 1536-3134) is published 7 times a year including the annual edition of DIRT, which counts as two issues (February, April (DIRT double issue), June, August, October and December) by Big Stone Publishing, 1101 Village Rd., Suite UL-4B, Carbondale, CO 81623. Periodicals postage paid at Carbondale, CO, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Rock and Ice, PO Box 433038, Palm Coast FL 32143-9583. Subscription rates are $29.95 per year; $44.95 for Canada; $49.95 all other countries. Canada Post CPM #7157697.

4

AUGUS T 2020

ONE DIRT Y MAGAZINE

GBDH1000-1A7

Equipped with heart rate monitor and GPS. Useful workout functions include an optical sensor for heart rate measurement, along with bearing, altitude/barometric pressure, and temperature sensors, and an accelerometer for step counting. These five sensors help to keep you in close touch of your current activity in real time. The ability to receive GPS signals lets you access location information when you need it. This, when used in combination with the stopwatch, makes it possible for you to keep track of running information like distance, speed, pace, and more. Your heart rate and speed is used to calculate a VO2max value, which is an indicator of your cardio-pulmonary capacity. In addition, you will be able to connect to a new phone app via Bluetooth connection. Users will be able to easily configure watch setting and also view training data and create workout plans.

Š2020 CASIO America, Inc.

www.gshock.com

editor’s note

Black Lives Matter A NOTE FROM THE EDITORS DNF PODCAST Tune in to DNF—an unflinching examination of failure, picking yourself back up and running toward success.

Hear it now at trailrunnermag.com/podcast Listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, SoundCloud and Stitcher

Brought to you by

In a time where every brand, publication and organization is examining and responding to racial injustice and violence in our country, we recognize that words aren’t enough.

We’re reflecting on ways to create an action plan to move forward more equitably by spotlighting more diverse voices and imagery. By understanding how we have unintentionally upheld a system of oppression, we can then take steps to dismantle it.

All of us, especially the people with the most privilege, have to take responsibility for overcoming white supremacy.

Expressing support, and lifting up others for their labor isn’t enough. We must do the work. That begins with examining why our content doesn’t always accurately reflect the diversity of trail runners’ lived experiences. We’ll be educating ourselves, and our audience about the ways systemic racism affects our sport.

We recognize that the storytellers are as important as the stories they tell. We know that more diversity behind the camera will result in a better diversity, and quality of imagery for our magazine. We’re pledging to intentionally seek out and work with BIPOC photographers, writers and editors. We pledge to put money behind our words and support BIPOC creators and athletes. We will intentionally seek out and support athletes and organizations calling attention to injustice, and divest from organizations who fail to do the same.

Our mission at Trail Runner has always been, and will always be, to reflect the complexity and diversity of our sport and the culture it exists in. While some might feel uncomfortable while we wade into the murky waters of examining our own injustice, we urge them to embrace that discomfort as part of the learning process.

We will use this moment as one for reflection, and acceleration to action. We hope our readers will be moved to action as well by standing up for justice and inclusion in their own communities while fostering a more inclusive space on the trails. Our sport and our world will not flourish while racism exists.

Racism hurts everyone. Deconstructing racism helps everyone.

That work begins with us. TR 6 AUGUST 2020

FOR LIFE ON THE RUN

ONE DIRTY MAGAZINE

EDITORIAL Publisher / Ben Yardley byardley@bigstonepub.com Editor in Chief / Michael Benge mbenge@bigstonepub.com Assistant Editor / Zoë Rom zrom@bigstonepub.com Columns Editor / Alison Osius aosius@bigstonepub.com Contributing Editors / Yitka Winn, Sarah Lavender Smith, David Roche, Garett Graubins, Rickey Gates, Doug Mayer, Alex Kurt, Claire Walla, Brian Metzler, CREATIVE Art Director / Randall Levensaler rlevensaler@bigstonepub.com ADVERTISING SALES Dir, Advertising & Strategic Partnerships / Cynthia Bruggeman cb@bigstonepub.com CIRCULATION Subscription Manager / Cindy Stretz cstretz@bigstonepub.com Subscription Service bigstone@emailcustomerservice.com 800-282-6008

President/ Duane Raleigh draleigh@bigstonepub.com@bigstonepub.com Vice President/ Quent Williams qw@bigstonepub.com BIG STONE PUBLISHING 1101 Village Road, Suite UL-4B, Carbondale, CO 81623 Office: 970-704-1442 Fax: 970-963-4965 www.trailrunnermag.com WARNING! The activities described in Trail Runner carry a significant risk of personal injury or death. DO NOT participate in these activities unless you are an expert, have sought or obtained qualified professional instruction or guidance, are knowledgeable about the risks involved, and are willing to assume personal responsibility for all risks associated with these activities. TRAIL RUNNER MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, OF ANY KIND REGARDING THE CONTENTS OF THIS MAGAZINE, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY WARRANTY REGARDING THE ACCURACY OR RELIABILITY OF INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN. Trail Runner further disclaims any responsibility for injuries or death incurred by any person engaging in these activities. Use the information contained in this magazine at your own risk, and do not depend on the information contained in this magazine for personal safety or for determining whether to attempt any climb, route or activity described herein.

The views herein are those of the writers and advertisers; they do not necessarily

reflect the views of Trail Runner’s ownership.

• Manuscripts, photographs and correspondence are welcome. Unsolicited materials should be accompanied by return postage. Trail Runner is not responsible for unsolicited materials.

All manuscripts and photos are subject to Trail Runner’s terms, conditions and rates • Please allow up to 6 weeks for the first issue after subscribing or a change of address (to expect continuous service).

No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. © Copyright 2020 by Big Stone Publishing Ltd.

AUGUST 2020

7

Subscribe now at TRAILRUNNERMAG.COM

favorite trail EXPLORE

Bald Mountain Trail YAKIMA CANYON, WASHINGTON Photographer: Stephen Matera Runner: Rosslyn Luke Beta: The views from the Bald Mountain Trail get better with each step higher. And up it goes, from the start at 1,200 feet to the top at 3,200 feet.

At the beginning there are two options, a steeper trail to the right going through an access gate and a lesser grade to the left that contours around to the north and meets up on the ridgeline about 800 feet up.

The trail continues up the ridgeline with stunning views to the north of Mount Stuart, west toward Mount Rainier and south toward Yakima. Watch for rattlesnakes on sunny days!

Distance: Five miles round trip, and about 2,000 feet elevation gain.

Best season: Spring, summer and fall.

Winter is an option on low snow years, which aren’t uncommon.

Info: wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/baldy-mountain-1

8

DIRT ANNUAL / 2019

T HE TR AIL RUNNING LIFE

9

faces

PEOPLE

People frequently ask Hunt-Broersma if she falls when they learn she is an amputee trail runner. She typically replies: “Well I’ve fallen, and I’ve fallen really hard. It’s not because of the prosthesis. It’s because trail running is really hard.”

Losing a Leg

An Incredible Body

THIS AMPUTEE RUNNER TAKES ON ULTRA TRAIL RACES, AND FINDS SELF ACCEPTANCE.

By Brooke Warren Jacky Hunt-Broersma had recently passed the prayer flags slung atop Hope Pass (12,508 feet) when she found herself airborne. She crashed into the tundra, and blood streamed down her thigh while bruises began blotching her skin. Fortunately, her carbon prosthetic limb below her left knee remained intact. She hoisted herself up and finished five more adrenaline-fueled miles of the second stage of the TransRockies Run in central Colorado.

10

AUGUS T 2020

Finding Movement Three and a half years ago HuntBroersma decided to go on a run with her husband, an avid runner who is now her coach. Even though her walking prosthesis was clunky, she liked moving quickly on her own feet.

But running-specific feet for prostheses, called blades, are expensive: about $10,000.

Because it is an elective addition, insurance rarely pays for specialized prostheses.

Hunt-Broersma had to commit.

“It’s like buying a really, really expensive pair of running shoes,” she says.

When she started running, her right leg took a lot of weight because she didn’t trust her blade’s stability. She had to convince her brain and body to balance the load.

At first she ran on flat roads, but that got boring. So she tried trails and discovered ONE DIRT Y MAGAZINE

COURTESY JACKY HUNT-BROERSMA

“It was pure survival,” says Hunt-Broersma about making the life-altering decision to amputate.

Hunt-Broersma, 44, of Cary, North Carolina, started running just over three years ago, long after she lost her leg to cancer in 2001. At the time of her diagnosis, she was living in Holland.

She had a mysterious pain in her lower left leg that morphed into a golf-ballsized lump overnight.

After an emergency biopsy, she learned the lump was an EwingSarcoma, a rare cancer that can quickly infect the lungs. Her doctor was direct: You should get your leg amputated— other treatments could risk breaking the nodule off and spreading, or your being confined to a wheelchair.

“It was pure survival,” says HuntBroersma about making the life-altering decision. “You kinda shut off. It was as if I was looking from the outside in.”

A week later, her leg was amputated below the knee. The cancer hadn’t spread, and she was able to lead a fairly normal life, moving to the United Kingdom, and eventually to North Carolina with her husband and two children.

PEOPLE

big kid.” It also gave her confidence that she had become an athlete.

Hunt-Broersma climbs to Hope Pass at the 2019 TransRockies Run, central Colorado.

the wild, winding joy of dirt. But rocky trails wore through the blade’s tread every couple of weeks. Since most blades are designed for flat tracks and roads, she easily slipped out or rolled her prosthesis.

So her prosthetist, Chandler Balkman, of Del Bianco, North Carolina, customized her blade for trail running.

“When I met Jacky, she had already run

3,000 miles on the same ‘foot,’” Balkman says, “which is very unusual.”

Balkman replaced her too-springy blade (ideal for sprinting) with a more rigid one. He added tough tread to it, and found a split-toe foot that would better conform to uneven surfaces.

Despite the hiccups, Hunt-Broersma says, “Trail running makes me feel like a

Don’t Train In Pain

After running the Chicago and Boston marathons and a slew of 5Ks, HuntBroersma started racing longer distances on dirt. In her home state, she ticked off the Lake Norman 50K and the Umstead 50-miler.

In 2019, Hunt-Broersma took on the TransRockies Run, a 60-mile, threeday stage race in Colorado. Her first challenge was coming to altitude.

“My body kept going into shock,” she says, “as if it were saying, ‘Wait a minute, I was just busy recovering, now we’re going again. What’s going on?’”

The first day, she got blisters on her stump. Then, at mile 18 of 21, her blade tread came loose, threatening to trip her up. Fortunately at the end of that day, volunteers procured superglue and reattached her sole.

5X

> Venga CBD is your new secret weapon to beat pain and help your body perform at its best.

Training | Racing | Recovery

Save 20% with code: TRAILRUNNER20

Buy Now at VengaCBD.com

SPORTOGRAPH

A First at TransRockies

NANO-Emulsion CBD

Get 5 times more bioavialbility than standard CBD oils.

faces Day two was her birthday, and despite fixing the tripping hazard, Hunt-Boersma took that nasty fall. The day was rectified when she crossed the finish line to see her family, who had come to surprise her.

On day three, she was astonished to wake up feeling rested. She made it to the finish line, albeit with a heavily bruised leg from the fall, to become the first female amputee to finish the race. Even though it was her most challenging race yet, she can’t imagine she’d let herself give up in any race.

“Even if I have to crawl it, I will get myself to the finish line,” she says.

And, indeed, she often crawls. Or you could call it a “bum shuffle.” When trails are muddy, steep or snowy, she sometimes resorts to scooting on her backside. Hunt-Broersma’s South African accent (where she grew up), peppered with British colloquialisms, makes her locomotion modifications sound fun, even if they are arduous.

“Trail running makes me feel like a big kid.”

It also gave her confidence that she had become an athlete.

Where Inspiration Leads Hunt-Broersma is one of very few amputees who focuses on trail running.

Just two other high-profile amputee ultrarunners, Dave Mackey and Amy Palmiero-Winters, provide examples of what’s possible. But Hunt-Broersma’s husband is her biggest inspiration.

Hunt-Broersma started running because she saw her husband’s runs and thought, “If he can do it, then why not me?” Now, she hopes that others look at her and find motivation. And they do. She fields daily questions about

how to care for amputated limbs and reconcile limb-loss trauma, and even hears stories about how she inspires able-bodied people to start running.

Before Hunt-Broersma’s running journey, she avoided looking at herself in the mirror and always wore pants in public. When she started trail running and wearing shorts, it was liberating, she says. Instead of hiding her prosthesis, she started showing it off.

“Now I can look in a mirror and go, ‘Hell, yeah!’” she says.

In 2020, Covid-19 dashed HuntBroersma’s plans. Instead she became the first amputee to run a 100-miler on a treadmill during the Aravaipa Strong Virtual 100-mile race in April and participated in other running events like the 4x4x48 challenge (run four miles, every four hours for 48 hours). She hopes to run her first 200-miler in December.

“The more I do this,” she says. “The more people will say, ‘Wow, I can do this too.’”

Keep the trail out of your shoes and enjoy the journey.

Mahre Media

adventure

EXPLORE

Female participants in the Ultramarathon Caballo Blanco 50-mile race, Copper Canyon, Mexico.

Running Through the Generations

FINDING CONNECTION AND MEANING AT THE CABALLO BLANCO ULTRA

When I was a boy, my grandfather used to tell me stories from his youth in the Copper Canyons of Chihuahua, Mexico. He spoke about how his father, a veteran of Villa’s Division del Norte, would take him to visit the Tarahumara villages where he met my great grandmother. He would roll up his pants to play the rarajipari game, kicking a wooden ball for countless miles through the sierra in huaraches.

They would drink pinole and eat tamales tatemados cooked on an open fire in hidden caves along the cliffsides. Our Tarahumara relatives even healed him after a life-threatening injury crossing the border.

14

AUGUS T 2020

Over the years, my family’s connection to the Sierra and our ancestors has risen to the realm of memories, delicately recorded in the inter-generational tapestry of oral tradition. In fact, it wasn’t until my grandfather began to hunch over his cane—when the cataracts glossed over his eyes—that he began to unearth the memory of running.

Like with many Chicanos, my family and I were hungry for memory. We found ourselves walking the red road that promised to be a bridge to our own indigenous heritage. Through the American ONE DIRT Y MAGAZINE

TRUEMESSAGES.ORG

By Canek Pena-Vargas

B U SHIDO II The perfect combination of responsiveness, stability and cushion with burly protection and superb traction

adventure

EXPLORE

Indian Movement, our Lakota brothers and sisters offered us ceremonies to align our spirit and recover or cope with the trauma of settler colonialism.

But those are not our ways. Elders have always encouraged us to return to our original communities, learn our language and revive our traditions—like a spiral that returns to honor its past and expands to offer relevant healing for the present and future.

This year, I returned to the source. I returned to pray the way my ancestors prayed, with light feet moving up and down canyon walls. I ran the Caballo Blanco 50-Mile Ultra Marathon, in Urique, Chihuahua—a place where international, Mexican mestizo and Tarahumara runners converge. It was a powerful experience, not diminished by the real complexities that arise from poverty and the legacy of colonialism.

This was my first ultra and I had spent the year fumbling through a free training plan I found online. Adjusting the plan to fit between my life as a parent, teacher, coach and husband was not easy. I had to resist my OCD approach to counting mileage because I’m that runner who will pass my doorstep and jog halfway down the block just to make a round number.

Ultimately, injury, stress, and lack of 16

AUGUS T 2020

sleep tempered my expectations. But, it wasn’t until my final speed workout that I clinched my racing strategy.

After school, I help train a team of 20 young marathon runners in central LA. So, a few weeks before my race, I found myself flying up a steep hill with a motley pack of urban athletes—refugee youth, second-generation immigrant nerds and other flowers rising through the concrete.

We were laughing, whooping and smiling when it became clear. I would run the first half for fun and then dial it back to focus on surviving.

A few weeks later, I was in Mexico and lucky enough to revisit that special place that many trail runners search for. It is a place that exists in movement with others, joy and connection. I was barreling down a technical descent with a pack of runners, each propelling the other forward in a flurry of adrenaline and endorphins. The woman in front of me looked old enough to be my mother and I pushed myself to keep pace with her dancing huaraches and flowing skirt. The man behind me could have been my father and we were all running through the generations as if the connection had never been severed.

Amidst all of the romance, it is easy to forget where we are and when. It’s no secret that the Urique region has

struggled through waves of cartel violence and receiving water or words of encouragement from machine-guntoting security is a stark reminder.

It’s also no mystery that this is a place of extreme poverty and when sacks of corn are earned at every 10-mile mark, things can begin to look less like a race and more like a hard day’s work.

Of course, there is no singular Tarahumara runner. There are youngsters who take off at a sprint and burn out too soon. There are comadres who take their time walking, running and chatting. There are young prodigies like local champion and course-recordholder Miguel Lara, who is carving out a place for himself on the international stage. There are even middle-aged, middle-of-the-pack runners like me.

But my favorite are the elder champions like Arnulfo Quimare and Santiago Ramirez who glide through the mountains with broad smiles, content to see their people running again. Arnulfo, a star in Christopher McDougall’s now-classic book Born to Run and first champion of the Urique race, maintains the long legacy of Quimare runners.

Later, Arnulfo’s son would recount how his grandfather, the eldest Quimare, still runs for 48 hours with sandals, a bag of pinole and a pine torch to light his way through the canyons.

ONE DIRT Y MAGAZINE

CANEK PENA-VARGAS

The author (second from right) and his running team in LA together with Matias Quimare (far right), the son of Arnulfo Quimare. Matias came to run the LA Marathon with them.

adventure

EXPLORE

After school, I help train a team of 20 young marathon runners in central LA. So, a few weeks before my race, I found myself flying up a steep hill with a motley pack of urban athletes—refugee youth, second-generation immigrant nerds and other flowers rising through the concrete.

Santiago, an accomplished runner himself, is the father of Lorena Ramirez, a rising star in the indigenous running community. Lorena, who still runs in traditional dress and huaraches, has inspired young indigenous women runners throughout the world.

Ultimately, this race is an opportunity for the Tarahumara people to recover a sacred and defining tradition. One week later, that tradition reached beyond the border and landed in the heart of Los Angeles, when Tarahumara runner Matias Quimare made his way to the LA Marathon.

This is when the medicine of movement became more clear to me. You see, it is believed that the Tarahumara running tradition was born from a need to survive colonialism. Instead of fighting to the death or fading into assimilation, the Tarahumara decided to run. They hid in the canyons for generations— maintaining their language, traditional diet and customs. Running was their medicine to prevent or heal from conquest.

Now, that medicine is taking root in LA. Young indigenous runners from Central America and Mexico are finding peace and power in breath

and stride. Many are “unaccompanied minors” who have walked thousands of miles to find refuge from gangs and hunger. Others have grown up their entire lives in the hood, coping with conditions beyond their control.

But in running, we find control over our bodies, ourselves and our future.

We are able to re-examine and disarm the source of our anxiety. We begin to clean our diets and, most important of all, we join a pack.

Matias’ visit offered testament to the value of our culture, our traditional diets, language and heritage. A young woman excitedly commented that her family speaks Kiche, an indigenous language from Guatemala, and that she never realized its value. This is the medicine, the connection between a diaspora and its source. The sound of huaraches drumming on concrete reminds us that we can exist here, that our ancestors are still with us and that we are running through the generations.

P H O T O G A L L E R Y The air, the light and the dirt of the natural landscapes we move through as trail runners.

PHOTO: Brandon French running slickrock near Moab, Utah.

PHOTOGRAPHER:Steven Gnam

18

AUGUST 2 0 2 0 T R A I L R U N N E R M A G . C O M

ONE DIR T Y M A G A ZINE

AUGUST 2020

19

20

AUGUST 2 0 2 0 T R A I L R U N N E R M A G . C O M

PHOTO: Hurricane Mountain in the Adirondacks from the highway 9N trailhead travels up 2,000 feet in 3.4 miles through dense forest, across numerous foot bridges and switchbacks, before spilling out onto the unearthed firetower adorned summit. But that is only half the fun, Kathy Roberts and Jacki ArĂŠvalo make their way down into the second half of the run.

PHOTOGRAPHER: Luis Arevalo

ONE DIR T Y M A G A ZINE

AUGUST 2020

21

PHOTO: The Spanish mountain guide Jordi Tosas captured near his home on his favorite training route in the El Turbรณn, a mountain range in the Pre-Pyreenes in the province of Huesca, Spain.

PHOTOGRAPHER: Mattias Fredriksson

22

AUGUST 2 0 2 0 T R A I L R U N N E R M A G . C O M

Less weight.

More trailblazing.

Introducing Trail Series™ – 25% lighter

hyd roflask.com

PHOTO: Mirna Valerio enjoys some cool fall temps in the Utah desert.

PHOTOGRAPHER: Michelle Craig

24

AUGUST 2 0 2 0 T R A I L R U N N E R M A G . C O M

ALREADY ACCLIMATED A go-fast runner that adapts - even at elevation.

Built off athlete feedback, the stripped down MTL Skyfire is a go-fast shoe perfect for rugged runs in the mountains.

Lightweight and fully reinforced, the shoe’s predictable ride and sticky Quantum Grip® give runners constant confidence in the face of nature’s ever changing mood swings.

Learn more about MTL Skyfire at merrell.com/skyfire.

MTL Skyfire

MANY PATHS, ONE TRAIL.

PHOTO: Melissa Hagedorn running in the North Caineville Mesa badlands, Caineville, Utah.

PHOTOGRAPHER: Steve Matera

26

AUGUST 2 0 2 0 T R A I L R U N N E R M A G . C O M

BUILT TO RUN

FĒNIX 6 ®

SERIES

PHOTO: McKendree Hickory savors the last rays from Hahns Peak, Colorado.

PHOTOGRAPHER: Noah Wetzel

28

AUGUST 2 0 2 0 T R A I L R U N N E R M A G . C O M

DURO | DYNA

Each glorious long run in the mountains is the result of countless hours of training; early mornings, late nights, tired legs and no excuses. The Duro/Dyna makes ever y race or run easier with bounce-free s tabilit y and options that accommodate ever y thing from a f t e r- w o r k j a u n t s t o l o n g d a y s i n the mountains. So keep training.

T h a t ’s h o w t h e G o o d D a y s a r e M a d e .

Mike Foote, Mario Mendoza and Mauricio Carvajal run the U.S. side of the Mexico-United States border outside of Campo, California.

INVISIBLE WALLS

BY MIKE FOOTE PHOTOS BY AARON COLUSSI

The author takes a 10-day journey to run sections of the United States-Mexico border with the Mexican American mountain runner Mario Mendoza and the Mexican ultrarunner Mauricio Carvajal to explore landscapes, communities and cultures of this unique place at this unique moment.

Sweltering heat, spiky things, and spectacular sunsets. These are the defining characteristics of Big Bend National Park—800,000 acres of federally protected land located along the United StatesMexico border in southern Texas. The harsh, raw and resilient beauty here commands respect and tugs on your curiosity.

It’s only April, but the thermometer crests into the triple digits as we begin a 10-day journey to run sections of the border from Texas to Tijuana. We are a team of three— myself, Mario Mendoza and Mauricio Carvajal—on this North Face expedition. Mario, 34, is an accomplished Mexican-American mountain runner based in Bend, Oregon, who has represented the United States at the IAU Trail World Champs on multiple occasions. When he is not crushing his competition on the racecourse, you can find him giving sermons as a pastor at his church, or spending time with his wife and son.

Mauricio, a Mexican ultrarunner, traveled north from his home in Mexico City to join our trip. Though he is the elder of our team, at 50 years old, he is relatively new to trail running.

However, in his short competitive career, he has compiled a strong enough list of results to garner a spot on the Mexican North Face team. He juggles his competitive goals with the demands of raising a family and working full time as an insurance salesman.

From Missoula, I am a Montana Native and the director of the Run the Rut races.

Our shared deep curiosity to explore new places and cultures has brought us together to run along the edge of two nations and to visit with and hear the stories of people and communities along the way.

Big Bend National Park It’s day one, and we find ourselves entering Santa Alena Canyon along the Rio Grande in Big Bend National Park deep in southern Texas. We are alone and the only sound is the descending call of a canyon wren echoing off the rock walls rising hundreds of feet into the sky. The river flows lazily toward the Gulf of Mexico and, in doing so, separates two countries.

We wade into the cool water and move slowly across the channel. It’s thigh deep and cool, and I feel the silt and mud squeezing between my toes. I place my hand on the sandy bank, nervous I am breaking multiple federal laws.

Mauricio is happy to accompany me on my first visit to his home country.

“Bienvenidos a Mexico, my friend,” he quips with a smile.

32

Early morning light on the mouth of the Santa Elena Canyon in Big Bend National Park, Texas.

Mario is a bit more pensive. Born in the U.S., but with both parents from Mexico, he looks at each bank of the river he is standing in.

“I feel like this river is me,” he says, feeling the mix of two countries, cultures, and identities swirling around him.

Tohono O’odham Nation After four days of running and driving along hot and desolate stretches of the border from Texas and across New Mexico, we enter the Tohono O’odham Nation. The Nation is the second-largest reservation in Arizona in both population and size with 28,000 members and 2.8 million acres of land.

Tribal members live on both sides of the border and utilize traditional crossings.

For three days we stay on the Nation and each morning we meet and run with a few of the local runners. The barrier

AUGUST 2 0 2 0 T R A I L R U N N E R M A G . C O M

A group of youths from the Tohono O’Odham Nation join on a morning run through the beautiful and rugged landscape along the Arizona side of the border; Mike Foote congratulates a young Tohono runner after a solid morning; the border barrier in the Tohono O’Odham Nation (a border-patrol road runs the majority of the barrier within the Nation); Foote looks out toward the Santa Elena Canyon and his first glimpse of Mexico.

ONE DIR T Y M A G A ZINE

AUGUST 2020

33

Scrambling up a grueling ascent to the summit of Baboquivari Peak, in the Tohono O’Odham Nation (the team was granted permission by the Nation to run the trail).

along the sandy road is just a few feet tall, and, if we wanted, we could step right over into Mexico. Of course, this would likely trigger a quick visit from the many border patrol agents who are a constant presence in the area.

After one sunrise run, we meet with tribal elders and learn from them the many issues surrounding the border in their community. The tribe has taken the stance that they do not want a wall dividing their lands. The environmental and cultural impacts of the construction of a large barrier are immense. It would divide the tribal members, limit the migration of animals and flow of water and result in the destruction of countless saguaro cacti, which are sacred to the tribe.

I ask Anthony Francisco Jr., a tribal elder and our guide while on the Nation, what messages we can carry with us as we continue along our journey.

“That we are here,” he answers.

Our last evening on the Nation we find an obscure trail and begin to scramble up a rugged peak. The Sonoran desert stretches out into a deepening purple horizon.

34

There are signs of human passage in the area. We find discarded water bottles, shredded camouflage backpacks and clothing and carpet shoes, an over bootie worn to reduce tracks in the sand. It’s clear that mountain lions, coyotes, and javelina are not the only creatures migrating through this unforgiving landscape.

Tijuana After three days on the Nation, we say goodbye and continue west toward our final destination, Tijuana, one of Mexico’s largest cities, which sits just south of the border from San Diego. The relentless heat of the desert has been replaced with the cool air of the Pacific coast as we cross the border for the first (official) time of the trip.

We have decided our last run will be along the final 10 miles of the wall, all the way to the Pacific. To do so, we join the running group, Latinas a Correr. Founded by Arlene Gonzalez, who lives just north of Tijuana, in Chula Vista, California, the group is a mix of runners from both sides of

AUGUST 2 0 2 0 T R A I L R U N N E R M A G . C O M

Arlene Gonzalez, founder of Latinas a Correr, behind the border wall in Tijuana, Mexico; the border wall just before reaching the Pacific Ocean, outside of Tijuana; border patrol looked on as we ran the border wall near Campo, California.

the border with the common goal of leading a healthy and connected lifestyle through running.

We run as a group of 20 or so down the highway, clogging a single lane of traffic on the busy thoroughfare. Mexicans and Americans alike, we are moving forward together side by side and I can’t help but feel inspired by this simple act of solidarity. It buoys my stride and I have a hard time reigning in my energy. I settle in, however, and we discuss the large caravan of migrants over the prior year who had moved north through Mexico with the hope of seeking asylum in the United States at the Tijuana border crossing.

“That is where they camped,” says Arlene, pointing to a field.

And a mile later, “This is where many tried to climb the wall.”

We crest the final hill, and the ocean stretches out before us. I’m surprised to see that the wall literally plunges into the water and continues on for hundreds of yards into the sea. We reach the beach and Mario, Mauricio and I stop in the water.

I struggle to articulate the emotions I feel as the waves wash over our thighs. Mauricio finds the words I am searching for.

“It doesn’t matter if you are American or Mexican,” he says. “Everybody runs together. It puts everyone together. No divisions. Running breaks down walls.”

I couldn’t agree more.

Mike Foote, 36, is a North Face athlete who lives close to the Canadian border in Missoula, Montana. He appreciates the chance to explore cultures and landscapes with the help of his legs and lungs.

ONE DIR T Y M A G A ZINE

AUGUST 2020

35

The Swiss Mix 5 Peaks for Trail Runners in the High Swiss Alps

By Kim Strom • Photos by PatitucciPhoto

You’re supposed to do these routes in typical Euro-climbing style: walk to hut, sleep in hut packed with other climbers, wake up too early after not really sleeping, fumble around in the dark, leave hut with other groups, climb mountain, descend mountain, drink beer. That’s one style of adventure with its own rhythm. But there’s also the “wear boots, carry extra stuff, move slowly” part of the tradition that can be avoided or streamlined.

Running up peaks into increasingly technical landscapes isn’t a new concept, but moving faster and lighter in alpine terrain is becoming more attainable for a broader range of trail runners. For many trail runners, as fitness improves and skills develop, we’re seeking ways to not just go farther, but to go higher, beyond where the trail ends.

Do we call it trail running, mountain running, skyrunning, light alpinism?

The 2018 Skyrunning World Champion Hillary Gerardi started scrambling, climbing and mountaineering long before running. “After starting to run, I always gravitated toward races and objectives that allow me to combine those skill sets.” She’s won several of Skyrunning’s most technical races—Tromsø (Norway), KIMA (Italy), Glencoe (Scotland), Monte Rosa Skymarathon (Italy)—but beyond racing she’s always looking for new ways to challenge herself as a climber and a runner.

“It’s exciting to realize that some of the goals I initially thought of as multi-day mountain projects are attainable in a day, thanks to my acquired experience and a good pair of mountainrunning shoes.”

Along with Gerardi, the photographer Dan Patitucci and I teamed up for many peakrunning objectives in the Alps. Here, we present five of our top travel-worthy “runs” in the Swiss Alps. The five runs—each progressively tougher—require the endurance and savvy to handle lots of vertical gain (more than 2,000 meters each) in alpine settings.

The Mettelhorn and Barrhorn runs stay almost entirely on trails, training ground to develop mountain legs. The next three peaks, the Sustenhorn, Balmhorn and Weissmies, build on the ability to run big days, and then continue after the trail runs out. Some outings break the beautiful simplicity of running, perhaps requiring that you pack an ice axe and possess basic climbing skills.

The Matterhorn has the author’s back during a run/ascent of the Mettelhorn.

36

AUGUS T 2020

T R A I L R U N N E R M A G . C O M

AUGUS T 2020

37

SWISS MIX PEAK 1

Mettelhorn 3,405 meters

DISTANCE: 21 kilometers GAIN: 2,176 meters SUMMIT: 3,405 meters DIRECTION: Clockwise Loop CRUX: Massive uphill/ downhill training, and super fun trail movement with low consequence. The way up is steep and occasionally technical trail, but always trail—no scrambling or special equipment is required, although Microspikes are potentially useful for the snowfield just below the summit.

The photographer Dan Patitucci on the other side of the lens; and the author savors singletrack on the descent from the Mettelhorn.

Close to the Matterhorn but No Hands Required “You look happy,” said the stranger.

She lobbed the comment and kept walking without waiting for a reply, disappearing between the campground rows, overpacked on all sides with summer-vacationers, van-lifers, giant rental RVs and a few tents.

She was right. Sitting on the ground at the edge of the crowds and finishing dinner cooked on a backpacking stove, Dan and I were quite happy to be prepping to run up the Mettelhorn, a steep and direct climb to a sharp summit—one we’d done many times and couldn’t wait to come back to.

Just before 6 a.m. the next morning, we boarded a train in Täsch to car-free Zermatt, then continued the ride for another 12 minutes deeper into the Matter Valley. Starting early, just as the sun rose from behind the peaks, we had the trails to ourselves. The trail immediately climbs 1,000 meters in under four kilometers, meaning more steep walking than running.

The reward for that vertical push was a break before the next 1000-meter climb and a direct view across the valley to the jutting Matterhorn that inspired the Toblerone logo. The next section featured smooth singletrack and the trailside Trift Hotel, a flamingo-pink mountain hut with green shutters that serves homemade iced tea. After passing a flock of Valais black-nose sheep, the pastures faded into the treeless alpine. Just before our final steep push to the rocky summit, we crossed a small, low-angled glacier, and witnessed an inspired hiker cannonball, naked, into a semi-frozen glacial pool.

From the top, we were surrounded by the region’s highest peaks: Ober Gabelhorn, Zinalrothorn, Weisshorn, Dom and, still, the Matterhorn, all grey and white shards protruding into the blue sky. It’s not a view to rush away from, but the descent is just as good as the way up. Fast and fun, first doubling over the ascent route until splitting off on longer switchbacks to loop back down right to the Zermatt train station.

38

AUGUS T 2020

SWISS MIX PEAK 2

Barrhorn

3,610 meters DISTANCE: 25 kilometers GAIN: 2,033 meters SUMMIT: 3,610 meters DIRECTION: Counterclockwise Loop SARTING POINT: Turtmanntal CRUX: The trail can be icy in places. A short section of steep rock is fixed with cables to aid your scramble. The trail is steep at the top but well-marked. These are high mountains; be prepared for cold weather and rapidly changing conditions.

The trail to the Barrhorn’s summit offers often-runnable sections, but is a huge day with tons of vert. Joe Grant makes it look easy on the Swiss Alps’ highest trail.

The Highest Trail in Switzerland Starting in a dead-end valley that parallels the Matter Valley, the one that leads to Zermatt, the Turtmann Valley has more cows than tourists. The best trail runner’s route to the Barrhorn is via the Alps’ highest official trail, reaching the summit at 3,610 meters.

Like many runs in the Alps, it begins in green gentle pastures sprinkled with cows. As the trail goes higher, it stretches across a grey moraine, and follows a buffed scree track steep enough to slide backward if you slack off on your uphill push. Besides these extra-steep stretches, the trail is often a runnable gradient. While it doesn’t require special gear, doing it in a single day does require toughness and endurance, plus wellprepared quads and calves for the hours of up and down.

As we tried to layer up before the exposed summit, a sudden gust tore the jackets out of our clawed hands. Every time I’ve run the Barrhorn, it’s been frigid. And windy. And super steep at the top. And this ascent was no exception.

AUGUS T 2020

41

SWISS MIX PEAK 3

Sustenhorn 3,502 meters

DISTANCE: 21 km.

GAIN: 2,080 meters SUMMIT: 3,502 meters DIRECTION: Out and Back STARTING POINT: Göschenen CRUX: Must have the necessary skills and equipment to travel on a glacier. Take a full glacier kit.

The Sustenhorn ups the ante in technicality, so come prepared for glacier travel.

Just Another “Horn” in the Swiss Alps Looking over the map, Dan and I noted a marked trail led to the Chelenalp Hut, but then became a disconnected dotted line up a ridge. The dots rose steeply over the contour lines of the map and traversed a small glacier to the Sustenlimi, a pass in the ridgeline giving access onto the Sustenhorn’s low-angle glacial plateau, a section of blank white paper.

“I know the Sustenhorn from ski touring, but there’s little info on the mountain for summer and the route we want to try,” said Dan as we worked out the logistics for this more technical adventure. “One thing I love about being in the climbing mountains is uncertainty, and you don’t often get that with running. You typically just get on a trail and run.”

Dan was a climber long before becoming a runner and running for the sake of running usually wasn’t enough for him. I’m the opposite—a trail runner who simply wants to go farther and higher into the mountains, which means learning and practicing new skills. With routes like this, Dan had an outlet to use his mountain skills, from fitness to gear to planning.

“We’ll just have to go have a look,” I said.

And so we did. With running shoes and headlamps, Microspikes stuffed into our tiny packs and a thin rope coiled on top we cast off in the still-dark hours of morning.

Up and down from the peak, we never used the rope, as the few crevasses were visible. Our Microspikes provided just barely enough traction for the day’s conditions and allowed us to run over the glacier. We saw only a few people close to the hut and a few more roped together at the summit, a rarity in the well-traveled Alps.

42

AUGUS T 2020

How Can I Do It? GETTING THERE: Public transportation in Switzerland is top notch—frequent, on time and reaching even remote valleys. From either Geneva or Zurich airports, trails are accessible by the Swiss train and bus systems.

RESOURCES: The following sites and their apps can help with planning everything from transportation to safety.

• SBB /Swiss train system: sbb.ch • Postauto/Swiss bus system: postauto.ch • Switzerland Mobility/maps: schweizmobil.ch • Rega/Swiss air rescue (emergency number: 1414): rega.ch • Meteo Swiss/weather: meteoswiss.admin.ch MORE INFO: Logistics, maps, gear, guiding: elevation.alpsinsight.co

SWISS MIX PEAK 4

Balmhorn 3,698 meters

DISTANCE: 22 kilometers GAIN: 2,400 meters SUMMIT: 3,698 meters DIRECTION: Out and Back STARTING POINT: Kandersteg CRUX: Crampons and an ice axe are mandatory.

The time of day and seasonal conditions make a major difference in the safety of this route. It’s easier to cross the Schwarzgletscher with some snow rather than on the loose scree beneath, but not too late in the day for risk of rockfall.

While possible in running shoes, this is a mountaineering route.

Experience is a must, especially to know the difference between when it is possible to do in running shoes and when it’s not.

After a pre-dawn start, hours of mixed running and steep hiking in the alpine lead to the snowy summit of the Balmhorn.

T R AILRUNNERMAG.

Steel Tips Required We started the run in the dark, dodging salamanders and frogs that use the trails in the off hours. After a steep forest climb that took us to the head of the valley, we trudged over a steep moraine and frontpointed up the remains of the Schwarzgletscher, a rapidly shrinking glacier. We didn’t feel the first thawing from the sun until we hit the Zackengrat, the southwest ridge of the peak. Finally, on the rocky ridge, dark slabs led to more glacier and back to crunching our way up the ice and snow.

A snowy ramp led to the top of the Balmhorn, a sheer cliff on one side and a sweeping glacial bulge on the other. After reaching the summit and looking way down to the valleys below, we began to retrace our route. Morning had warmed the icy surface enough to absorb our steps and we glissaded down to the scree field, re-packed our gear and shifted back to summer trailrunning mode.

We trotted along the Spittelmätte river valley, butterballs blooming beside the trail, a big summer sun overhead warming bare skin and ice axes strapped to our packs. I noticed the added weight of the gear and clothing packed back inside with ice still clumped to our crampons. We’d made our way back down to a rolling trail in a green river valley after a morning of ice and rock.

AUGUS T 2020

45

SWISS MIX PEAK 5

Weissmeis 4,017 meters

Climbing a 4,000er When we first climbed the Weissmies, the old boot-and-hut way, we realized it would be a peak perfectly suited for running, given the right conditions. The trail leading to the hut begged to be run, fairly smooth with plenty of switchbacks. The ridge climb to the summit would be a good scramble in dry conditions and running shoes. The classic descent route, the north-side glacier, mazes through abysmal crevasses and a refuse of serac falls, not ideal or even tempting to want to run. We could avoid this altogether: up and back on the south side would be the way to go.

We came back to the Weissmies with a condensed plan. Simply: run up mountain, run down mountain. Maybe drink beer. And this time, we could bring Skyrunner/mountain woman Hillary Gerardi along. “ I hadn’t ever been to the Weissmies before, and I admit to being a little anxious about it,” she says. “We agreed that if conditions weren’t right, then we were all OK to turn around, accepting that this kind of mission is less about getting to the summit, and more about experiencing moving through mountains.”

We waited for dry September conditions so we could run in, scramble up and down the southeast ridge without ice on the rock, and run out. Starting in Saas Almagell after lunch, and, after a long debate about crampons vs spikes, we trotted up to the Almageller Hut and continued past the groups sorting their next day’s gear on the patio after the “walk-to-hut” part of the usual itinerary. We hoped to reach the summit, have the route entirely to ourselves, pass back by the hut and be all the way back down in the valley before everyone else got to the “sleep-in-hut” line item.

All the pieces came together for this run, on this day. From the summit, we watched the sun glow pink, made our way off the technical ridge before needing headlamps, past the stillawake hut, through the forest switchbacks, and draped our tired bodies over bar stools down in the valley for last call.

46

AUGUS T 2020

DISTANCE: 20 kilometers GAIN: 2,336 meters SUMMIT: 4,017 meters DIRECTION: Out and Back STARTING POINT: Saas Almagell CRUX: Condition dependent, the rocky ridge climb must be dry and clear of ice to manage in running shoes. Even then, crampons are highly recommended for the final snow/ice summit ridge. Understand your abilities for the given conditions and take the appropriate gear.

We took axes just in case. We didn’t take a rope, but our group is all comfortable and experienced on this style of route.

The southeast ridge of the Weissmies is a moderately exposed 3rd- and 4th-class rock scramble to a snowcovered summit ridge (possible ice). Conditions are not always an easy trench through the snow.

The ridge is exposed, and a fall would be fatal.

The exposed southeast ridge of the Weissmies is exhilarating but no missteps are allowed. Hillary Gerardi and Kim Strom taking care.

RUNNING IN THE TIME OF COVID-19

RUNNING IN PLACE

A photographic exploration of what it’s like to run in the San Francisco area in the time of the coronavirus.

STORY AND PHOTOS BY JEFF RUEPPEL

48

AUGUST 2 0 2 0

T R AILRUNNERMAG.COM

San Francisco, California

The pandemic is scary. When you live in a densely populated city with 20 daily flights from the epicenter of a pandemic, you expect the worst is coming straight at you. The early days of COVID19 lockdown in San Francisco were eerie, with boarded-up businesses, no traffic, no noise, nobody in the streets and everybody hunkered down in social isolation. Early reports of infection rates and deaths led to heightened fear of even passing interactions with other people.

Against that backdrop, I went running, and so did a lot of others.

California’s mandatory shelter-in-place order boiled down to “except for essential activities, stay inside” and “don’t travel.” Beautifully, running was listed as one of the permitted reasons to leave your home.

An essential activity.

More people on the trails were running after the control, sense of stability, connection with nature and health benefits that come from running. For all the challenges of sheltering in place and running in an urban environment, this strange time has given me and others a chance to explore San Francisco’s urban trails and discover surprising bits of wilderness within city limits.

Now with heightened civil unrest, San Francisco has also instituted an 8 p.m. curfew for an indefinite amount of time. For those looking forward to the slow loosening of restrictions for COVID-19, this was a demoralizing blow forcing us back into our homes. Yesterday, I shook off my dismay at the new restriction, laced up my shoes and put in 20 gorgeous miles of trail before the sun went down. For those 20 miles, everything felt OK with the world.

ONE DIR T Y M A G A ZINE

AUGUST 2020

49

RUNNING IN THE TIME OF COVID-19

CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: John Elliott cuts right down San Francisco’s signature Market Street. Now that they are no longer packed with trains, buses, tech employees and tourists, running down the middle of now-empty streets feels safer than running close to others on the sidewalk.

Emily Hendrick cruises past UCSF Hospital on the approach to Mount Sutro. Testing tents, warning signs and masked medical personnel are daily reminders that all is not normal.

Hendrick finds that tall forests and foggy air make Mount Sutro a welcome escape in the heart of the city. Running singletrack comes with the added challenge of jumping off trail to give six feet of space to someone else. Not everyone is comfortable sharing air, even in outdoor spaces.

Thomas Bukowski leaves the Mission District, climbing up Billy Goat Hill and onto the trails above. Runners face extra stares, whether or not they wear masks, from those who doubt the sanity of running during a pandemic.

50

AUGUST 2 0 2 0

T R AILRUNNERMAG.COM

San Francisco, California

“Can’t go out to eat, can’t go to shows or the movies or see friends. Since I can’t do any of those things now, running has become what I turn to even more than usual to signal the end of the work day.”

–Emily Hendrick

RUNNING IN THE TIME OF COVID-19

San Francisco, California

Melinda Winter logs early morning miles in The Presidio of San Francisco. The former Army post, now a National Recreation Area, has become a refuge for cramped city dwellers.

GEAR FINDER

THE SNAPBACK HEADBAND WITH SECRET POCKET

WWW.BRAINBRANDHEADWEAR.COM BASED IN DALLAS | MADE IN DENVER | WORN EVERYWHERE

RUNNING IN THE TIME OF COVID-19

San Francisco, California

ABOVE: Carolyn Link tops out on Twin Peaks, where 850 feet of steps almost straight up lead to a 360-degree view. With the city in lockdown below, the trails up here provide a moment of escape and solitude.

LEFT: Running with a face mask tucked in a pocket was the norm for the first few weeks. Even with social distancing loosening, people are required to wear a mask when passing within 30 feet of others. Most runners interpret that loosely, based on how nervous the people near them look.

“It’s OK to slow down. There’s beauty to simplicity. And adventure can be found right outside your door.”

54

AUGUST 2 0 2 0

—Melinda Winter

T R AILRUNNERMAG.COM

START PLANNING YOUR FALL NOW!

TRAIL

Upcoming 2020 VIP Races*

.

Hey Race Directors!

Grow your race with Trail Runner as part of our VIP program.

Event marketing can be expensive, time consuming and confusing. For one price, you can join our VIP Race Partner Program and we will promote your race across a variety of media platforms: print, web and social. You’ll receive: • Race listing in our VIP Race Partner Program race directory, which will be printed in every issue of Trail Runner.

• Race listing highlighted as a VIP Race on our website and online race calendar.

• Race listing in our monthly e-blast that reaches 152,000 runners.

• Opportunity to have your event chosen as “Race of the Month” and featured in our e-newsletter and online.

• Select opportunities for social-media posting of your race (dates, photos, unique offerings, etc.) posted by our editors.

• VIP partner discounts on additional Trail Runner advertising for even greater exposure (contact Cynthia Bruggeman: cb@bigstonepub.com.

• Up to 200 race-day copies of Trail Runner magazine provided to you at no cost.

Race Directors, sign up now or for more information: cb@bigstonepub.com

08/03 TransRockies Run 120M; Buena Vista, CO; www.transrockies.com 08/08 Haulin’ Aspen Trail Runs 6.5M, 13.1M, 26.2M; Bend, OR; www.haulinaspen.com 08/08 Beacon Rock 25K, 50K; North Bonneville, WA; www.rainshadowrunning.com 08/09 SAR Wild Run 5K, 10K, 13.1M; Shaver Lake, CA; www.sarwildrun.com 08/14 Kodiak Ultra Marathon 50M, 50K, 100M; Big Bear Lake, CA; www.kodiak100.com 08/15 Mid Mountain Marathon 26.2M; Park City, UT; www.mountaintrails.org 08/15 Just Peachy Trail Runs 1K, 5K, 10K; Palisade, CO; www.justpeachyrun.com 08/22 Pikes Peak Ascent 13.32M, 26M; Colorado Springs, CO; www.pikespeakmarathon.org 08/22 Waldo 100K 100K; Oakridge, OR; www.waldo100k.org 08/23 Pikes Peak Marathon 26.2M; Colorado Springs, CO; www.pikespeakmarathon.org 09/05 Grand Traverse Mountain Run 40.5M; Crested Butte - Aspen, CO; www.thegrandtraverse.org/ 09/05 Endurance Santa Fe 1M, 13M, 50K, 50M; Santa Fe, NM; www.endurancesantafe.com/ 09/05 Trail of Four Winds 25K; Kaiser, MO; www.lakeoftheozarkstrailseries.com 09/12 Wabash Trace Nature Trail Marathon 13.1M, 26.2R, 26.2M; Shenandoah, IA; www.shenandoahiowa.net 09/12 GOAT Run 13.1M, 26.2M, 50K; Port Angeles, WA; www.greatoatrun.org 09/18 Golden Ultra 3-Day 3K, 5K, 10K, 22K, 30K, 45K, 60K; Golden, BC; www.goldenultra.com 09/19 Snow Mountain Ranch Trail Run 5K, 10K, 13.1M; Granby, CO; www.enduranceraceseries.com 09/19 The Bulldog Ultra 25K, 50K; MALIBU, CA; www. ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=61451 09/26 Birkie Trail Run and Trek 1K, 5K, 10M, 13.2M, 25.8M, 100K; Hayward, WI; www.birkie.com 09/26 Oregon Coast 50K 30K, 50K; Yachats, OR;

www.rainshadowrunning.com 09/26 Ultra Trails Lake Tahoe 100M; Northstar Village, CA; www.E3running.com

10/02 Khanabadosh 100 The Nomads Trail 100K; New Delhi, India; www.khanabadosh100.com/ 10/03 Secret Beach 100K 100K, 50M; Gold Beach, OR; www.rainshadowrunning.com 10/04 Run Crazy Horse Marathon and Half 13.1M, 26.2M; Crazy Horse, SD;

www.RunCrazyHorse.com 10/07 Resilient Service Members Classic 20M, 10K, 5K; jim@outdoorimmersion.org 10/10 Hot Chili Challenge 8M; Newton, NJ;

www.friend2friendscwf.org 10/10 Bromont Ultra 2K, 6K, 12K, 25K, 55K, 80K, 160K; Bromont, QC; www.bromontultra.com 10/11 Tussey mOUnTaiNBACK 50 50M; Boalsburg, PA; www.tusseymountainback.com 10/11 Oregon Coast 30K 30K; Yachats, OR; www.rainshadowrunning.com 10/13 Dirt Cheap Stage Race 3M, 5.5M, 11M; Honeoye Falls, NY; www.yellowjacketracing.com 10/17 FLATS Trail Half Marathon 13.1M; Kirksville, MO; www.facebook.com/flatstrailhalfmarathon 11/07 Friends of Government Canyon Recharge Run 8K, 15K; San Antonio, TX; www.friendsofgc.org 11/07 Grand Canyon Trail Half Marathon 13.1M; Tusayan (Grand Canyon), AZ; www.runtucson.net 11/07 Serenbe Fall Trail Race 5K, 15K; Chattahoochee Hills, GA; www.serenbetrailrace.com/ 11/11 Trans-Pecos Ultra - Seven Day Stage Race 170M; Alpine, TX; www.Trans-PecosUltra.com 11/21 The Florida Run @ Lake Louisa State Park 13.1M, 10K, 5K; Colt Creek State Park, FL; www.thefloridarun.com 12/05 Alexa’s Thunder Run 13.1M; Newton, NJ; www.friend2friendscwf.org 12/05 Anza Borrego Cuyamaca (ABC) 50M; San Diego, CA; www.abc50milerun.com/ 12/12 Deception Pass 50K 13.1M, 26.2M; Oak Harbor, WA; www.rainshadowrunning.com 12/13 Deception Pass 25K 25K; Oak Harbor, WA; www.rainshadowrunning.com 12/19 The HUFF 50K Trail Run 10.5M, 50K, 50R; Albion, IN; www.VeepRaces.com

PLEASE SUPPORT THESE RACES WITH YOUR PARTICIPATION, NOW MORE THAN EVER! * Due to the coronavirus pandemic, some races may be rescheduled or cancelled. Please contact your race for the latest information.

training

PERFORM

When running uphill or on level ground, you have a certain output.

Generally, that output stays the same while climbing even as your pace slows (with the caveat that it’s probably lower on technical climbs).

To put numbers on it, 10-minutesper-mile pace at 10-percent grade is about equivalent to 6:54 on flats.

In that hypothetical, we controlled for oxygen intake, which we can call aerobic development. So if climbing is not changing aerobic stress, where does the pace variation caused by gravity manifest itself for training purposes?

You Can Be A Superstar Hiker

Uphill Battles

BECOMING A GREAT CLIMBER MAY NOT REQUIRE AS MUCH VERT-FOCUSED TRAINING AS YOU THINK David Roche The best way to improve your climbing long-term is probably not to go out and climb a lot. That statement seems counterintuitive, so let’s power hike our way through the reasoning.

56

AUGUS T 2020

Fast Training = Fast Climbing

The answer is biomechanical loading patterns. There is reduced impact on the ups—that is mostly good. There is also slightly more muscular endurance strain—also mostly good. However, there is less neuromuscular and biomechanical stress unique to actually ONE DIRT Y MAGAZINE

RANDALL LEVENSALER

To up your hill-climbing game, focus on developing running economy, or the energy it takes to go a given pace.

Hiking usually involves lower output than running. That is a great thing! It means that you probably already have the aerobic and muscular tools to be a superstar hiker; you just need to get the neuromuscular and biomechanical practice to put it into action.

Start by focusing on form. When hiking, lean forward, using your hands to push against your quads if helpful, or just swinging them with focus if it’s not too steep. Emphasize knee drive.

Combined with the forward lean, that should engage your glutes.

Next, practice. I like athletes to get the hang of it on a treadmill. Set the grade to 15 percent and push yourself for 20 to 30 minutes. To give you an idea of how much these adaptations can be neuromuscular rather than aerobic, I coach a pro athlete who did this once at four miles per hour with a 160 average heart rate. After a few sessions, they were up to 4.5 miles per hour and 140.

In the four to six weeks before a race that will involve lots of hiking (which is the case for many ultras), doing treadmill hiking once or twice a week is enough to turn it into a skill that will let your slay any race.

FALL ASLEEP

STAY ASLEEP

WAKE REFRESHED

0 % T H C + M E L AT O N I N + A B L E C B D S P E C I F I C T E R P E N E B L E N D a n d 5 - H T P

Navigate sleep naturally.

NON-HABIT FORMING, TRI-PHASIC SLEEP SOLUTION

ABLE CBD’S TRI•SLEEP STRIPS are easy to use, dissolve orally and require no water for absorbtion.

SAVE 15% on your first order at ABLECBD.COM Use code RUN15.

www.ablecbd.com

Doctors Wanted in Bishop, California

Hiring for:

Pediatrician Hospitalist General Surgery Family Practice Occupational Medicine Internal Medicine Geriatrics

NORTHERN INYO HEALTHCARE DISTRICT One Team. One Goal. Your Health.

Contact us today!

760-873-2136 nih.org/physician-recruitment

training going fast. That can potentially be a major concern for long-term growth for some athletes.

It all gets back to running economy, or how much energy it takes to go a given pace. Multiple studies show that running economy on level ground and uphill correlates at any given moment in time (the hypothetical above).

And based on tons of athlete stories, we know that fast running training correlates with fast climbing. For example, Grayson Murphy came from the track in 2019 to win the World Mountain Running Championships.

But you’ll be hard-pressed to find examples in the opposite direction, where vert-focused training rapidly creates a speed demon.

It’s About the Economy

Why does that matter? The discrepancy likely indicates what training philosophies have internalized over time—climbing ability can

PERFORM

Strength Work For Athletes Who Hate Strength Work The 3-minute mountain legs routine has been used by tons of runners of all levels (including pros). It’s exceedingly simple. Start with single-leg rear lunges, doing 20 to 50 depending on your background. Then do one-legged step-ups on a second stair, working up to 50 over time (or even 100 if you’re masochistic). There is a tutorial on www. trailrunnermag.com.

Do the mountain legs routine three to five times per week after runs. It may make you surprisingly sore at first, so start with just a few repetitions to be safe. Add band work for some bonus mobility and strength.

improve as an athlete adapts to climbing, but it often reaches a max point relatively quickly. That max is likely based on overall running economy, since you can only adapt to climbing a certain amount before you’re capped out by the muscularendurance demands. Meanwhile, level-ground running economy can be trained over decades.

For example, one study found that Paula Radcliffe’s VO2 max actually

Tune in M o n t h ly.

dropped slightly over her running career, but her economy improved substantially. In other words, long after her aerobic development slowed down, learning to run faster made her into a world-record holder. Chances are that if she went out and did the Mount Washington Road Race or another climb, she would have set records too.

And I’d be willing to bet the house and the dog that if she had focused mostly on vert during her career, she wouldn’t

All summer long. w w w.t r a i l f i l m f e s t. c o m

Photo / Nick Danielson

training

PERFORM

have been as fast on flats or as strong on climbs.

For most athletes, that distinction might not be all that important.

Basically, if you run hills in the context of your normal training and don’t seek out vert at the exclusion of everything else, you’ll be fine. The problem I see all the time is that athletes think they need to climb a ton of vert to become a better climber, and training extensively at slower climbing speeds eventually makes for a slower athlete overall relative to their genetic potential.

There are three big implications for your training.

MATTIAS FREDRIKSSON

STEP 1 Work on your fitness and don’t overemphasize vert

The best climber is usually the best runner with just enough specific training on climbs. So make sure your training is geared toward improving

Vert chasing in moderation can lead to breakthroughs, just don’t overdo it.

LESS PAIN MORE TRAILS FULL SPECTRUM CBD THAT WORKS

As heard on Ten Junk Miles & Trail Runner Nation Podcasts

Shop Online: www.HempDaddys.com

15% OFF

Coupon Code: TrailRunner

training

PERFORM

your running. Start with aerobic development, with most of your runs easy, plus cross training if you enjoy it.

Layer in speed, first through flat strides and hill strides, later through intervals and tempos.

Ideally, your weekend runs would be on fun trails where you can get used to climbing and descending. You don’t need to do workouts on the track or anything like that; just think balance.

STEP 2 Do strength work

Plenty of studies indicate strength work can improve running economy, plus the musculoskeletal stress can mimic climbing without detracting from overall development. I recommend athletes do the 3-minute mountain legs routine three to five times per week, plus band work and whatever other routines are recommended by a strength coach or PT (see sidebar).

STEP 3 Practice climbing

When you get within a couple months of races with more vert than you are used to, start to seek out climbs to prepare for the biomechanical stresses that are unique to that activity. Vert chasing in moderation can lead to breakthroughs, just don’t overdo it.

It’s especially important for very steep climbs (think 20-plus percent), since level-ground running economy won’t correlate as cleanly as the activity gets farther and farther from running. That’s why cyclists can sometimes be very fast on steep mountain climbs.

In a perfect world, weekend runs would be on trails like you will race, with some mid-week workouts on ups and downs too. If you don’t have access to those types of trails, you can do “treadhills,” treadmill climbs that prepare your body for the specific demands of uphills. The running

economy bricks you have gathered through training should correlate directly into a beastly climbing wall, but you need to put it all together with enough specific training to adapt to the loading patterns.

Remember Downhilling

For many athletes, working steep downhills is far more important than uphills due to eccentric muscle contractions that can sap the body’s ability to put out power. A lot of what athletes think is bad climbing prep is just not being ready for downs, so make sure you get steep downs in training even if it means driving somewhere once every four to six weeks during a training build.

To summarize: lots of vert can be a byproduct of a well-rounded training plan. But when it comes to long-term growth over multiple training cycles, it probably shouldn’t be the primary goal.

Trail running communi-es for climate ac-on and sustainability

In person aBendance and virtual access opJons available - register now!

OCTOBER 21-24, 2020 - FAYETTEVILLE, AR - WWW.USTRAILRUNNINGCONFERENCE.COM

last gasp

PEOPLE

By Yitka Winn

The Road to Unglory OR, ODE TO MY DUMB WATCH My training watch—a longtime fountain of gold stars for new PRs and VO2 max improvements—was the first to notice.

“Unproductive Training Status,” it announced one week. I was trying to get pregnant, and had absorbed some dubious internet advice about interference from strenuous exercise.

M

Anticipatory pregnancy wasn’t the only reason I’d dialed back, though. Over the years I’d grown weary of insisting to people (e.g., my mother, past romantic partners) that endurance running wasn’t an addiction.

“But isn’t it weird that you signed up for another 50K on the only day I’ll be in town all month?” one boyfriend (now ex) asked. He also enjoyed running, but unlike me, had never treated the sport like an all-you-can-eat buffet.

“There was literally not one sentence spoken tonight that didn’t have to do with running,” the next one observed, after we’d had some of my trail junkie friends over for dinner.

Whenever someone lobbed the A-word (addiction) at me, I ticked off evidence to the contrary: I had other hobbies. Several of my friends weren’t runners. I always took—and enjoyed— an off-season.

“But doesn’t it feel like you’re ‘building up a tolerance’?” my mom asked once— probably the year I spent more money on races than on groceries. So last fall, when I announced plans to spend a 62

AUGUS T 2020

year jogging instead of training hard and racing, she exclaimed, “Thank goodness!”—as if I’d declared I was abandoning a cult.

Several months into my sojourn, I accompanied my husband on a latewinter run up Mount Si, a favorite local quad-burner. My watch assessed my effort as “Overreaching.” It was also the doleful day it downgraded my training

My watch was a monster, shaming me daily for my plummeting fitness levels. status from “Productive” to the opposite. I felt patronized. Criticism for being addicted to running was one thing; my brain still internalized that as praise. (“You’re just really devoted.”)

Being called a slacker was another thing entirely.

The next time I attempted a workout, I kept it mellower—a flat five-miler at a

modest trot. “Overreaching,” my watch said again, adding that my general fitness level had diminished four points since last week. Smartwatch, my ass.

The next week, I jogged at lunch with a couple of coworkers who were new to running. My watch labeled the gentle 2.78-mile jaunt as a tempo effort, and opened the door to the storm cellar of shame that lies beneath the cold floor of Unproductive: Again, my training status was reclassified, this time to “Detraining.”

Most of us did not know yet that Covid-19 was coming, that everyone’s— not just mine— race schedules were going to empty out in 2020. But soon, resourceful race directors began organizing virtual events. When ultras were canceled, people just ran them in their backyards. Or living rooms.

“Those people are addicts,” I told my mom—leaving out that, were I not at that point happily 20 weeks pregnant, I’d probably be trying to run 100 miles on a treadmill, too. The FOMO I’d expected during pregnancy had been briefly deflected by the global pandemic, only to be reinstated by the innovations of dedicated ultrarunners. Secretly, though, I thanked baby for giving me an out.

Still, my watch was a monster, shaming me daily for my plummeting fitness levels. I dreamed of a new kind of watch—one that doles out accolades for your slowest segment times, your lowestmileage week, every jog where you keep your heart rate super chill.

“You didn’t run at all today?” it might say. “Hell, yeah, sister!”

I don’t think pregnant women are the only market. It would be a boon for any injured runner struggling to be patient during recovery. For aging or retiring athletes trying to shed the ego of their glory days. For those whose partners and mothers may have been on to something with that A-word.

While none of us should ever derive our self-worth from a judgy piece of plastic, sometimes we can use a reminder: Slowing down is worth celebrating, too.

Yitka Winn looks forward to someday revisiting the buffet.

ONE DIRT Y MAGAZINE

NEW

1 0 5 C A LO R I E S

·

GLUTEN FREE

·

M A D E W I T H S K R ATC H L A B S

BD Athlete Joe Grant | Colorado Trail

Forest Woodward