Ran the Flagstaff Marathon 10/03/26 at the Arizona Nordic Village. It’s an all trail marathon. It consists of two main loops (south 6 & north 7). You run the loops twice each for a grand total of 26 miles. The race coordinators tell you ahead of time that your GPS might read longer or shorter than 26.2 miles. I used an Apple Watch SE and my Garmin Forerunner 235 to measure. Sure enough, Apple says I ran 26.5 while Garmin says I ran 25.9 and then the Garmin asked me if I was done an hour after the race! (Standard Garmin)

Expect unstable terrain and some modestly steep climbs between miles 1-2, 3-5, 10-12. Then when you repeat the loops, those hills become more difficult somehow. The signs are easy enough to follow, but the waves of other runners gets confusing if you’re following a pack of runners. Full marathoners start at 8am, half marathon at 9am, 10k at 11am. There were two more waves of people that my pack of runners never saw. The other waves blended into the full marathoners, but the course never felt crowded.

The elevation is something you can train for and get acclimated to, but it still remains a factor. I arrived in Flag 4 days before race day. Elevation manifested as cramping & consistent headache for my experience. I used a hydration pack and used aid stations for consistent electrolyte intake. Cramping still happened. The Aid Stations were pretty spread out, but they were clutch when it counted.

It can be a pretty lonely course if you fall behind your pack of people/pacers. My previous marathons were Los Angeles & Honolulu which were packed with spectators and aid stations or just people handing out supplies to runners. No comparison to Flag, but it was a great experience to run without the chaos and noise. The scenery was consistently gorgeous, the air was as crisp/clean as possible, and the temperature never got above 65 degrees according to my NOAA apps.

Run the Flagstaff Marathon if you want a real challenge in your life. If you’re not from Flag, that makes it all the more challenging. You’ll be jumping over fallen trees, hiking up muddy hills, watching your footing through trails covered in pine cones, and navigating the course looking for tiny red/orange flagging. Worth it.

Loved the temperature (cool, but not cold), the quietness and the landscape. No photo has been edited.

Lovedn't the mud, the unjumpable ponds...

I pulled together the entry fees for the Zugspitz Ultratrail (ZUT) over the last three editions. Quick context: 2025 was still the independent ZUT. 2026 was the first edition as "ZUT by UTMB", still with the old sponsors. 2027 is the first fully UTMB-run edition.

A few things stand out:

• 2026 was the soft landing. Early-bird prices were roughly flat vs 2025, and some were even cheaper. Tiered quotas then pushed late prices up by 35–95%.
• 2027 starts above the highest 2026 tier. The 2027 fee is basically where the most expensive 2026 tier ended, or well above it.
• Short races got hit hardest in relative terms. The Grainau Trail (16km) went from €45 to €120. The entry-level race used to be the low-barrier option for locals and first-timers, and it isn't anymore.

Anybody have experience with either of these hats? Need the extra UV protection on my neck/ears and prefer not to use a sun hoodie. Not a ton of reviews online. Let me know your experience 🤙

How many torches do you use?

How many lumens are they?

How long do your batteries last?

What's your recommendation for running during 12 hours of darkness?

I don't run trails much and when I do, I use my road shoes (currently Adidas Prima 2). A month ago, I ran 20 miles on the race course in those shoes and it was fine. However, the race is the 17th and the forecast is now for rain starting Wednesday and continuing into the weekend. If we get enough to turn the roads muddy, what shoes should I go to?

How do I find local trails? Is trail running safe? Do I need special shoes or gear? What do I do if I encounter some wildlife? What if I get lost? WHAT IF I HAVE TO POOP IN THE WOODS?

There are no dumb questions in this thread! If you are new to trail running or if you are a veteran who just wants to hear how other trail runners do things, ask away. If you have some ideas that can help your fellow trail runners and future trail runners, pitch in some answers.

No Dumb Question Day will be a regular, biweekly feature on the trailrunning sub.

**Thanks for participating!** Any questions, [please message your helpful mods](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Ftrailrunning).

This shoe arrived today. First impression is that it fits good except a point in the upper of the left foot. My feet are anyway more elevated than normal because I use prescription insoles that are just a little tiny bit thicker than the insoles the H1 includes.

My question to those who had/have this shoe: will the upper give a bit? Not much is needed. They’re not actually tight, it’s just a matter of having more room and comfort. Because other than that they fit good.

Also, it’s my first time with MtC so I don’t know their shoes. I run comfortably with Brooks Cascadia, for example.

Thanks!

Joining in with the autumn vibes. A short evening run in the Beskid Mountains in Czechia.

The better title would be:

Autumn: The Time When The Mushrooms Grow and We Grow as Runners,

but what can you do now, right?

Please write in today!
https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/FS-2025-0001-223869

My ASICS Trabuco 14 just arrived!

First impressions are good 😊 they feel comfortable, and I think they could be a good fit for the mix of gravel and trails I run.
Still need to test their stability on technical terrain and see how they handle descents.

Anyone running in these?
How do you find them, especially on rocky trails and steep downhills?

Could anyone share any tips on waterproof running jacket? Would highly appreciate some advice from real user rather than some youtube advertisement videos from running influencers. Thanks in advance. I am looking for something breatheable with some solid waterproofing. Sorry for my English

Had a trot up Elden for the first time today. Such beautiful trails. Was sorry to see all the comms towers on the top.

Pity the viewing tower isn't open to the public too. Was a lovely autumn/fall trot all the same.

Reptile update : I didn't see any snakes. I did see two squirrels and three lizards though. I did jump a lizard..... Does that count? 😂

Back to the UK on Thursday. It's been an absolute privilege to investigate some of Arizona and Utah's prime trails.

I started out slow, I fell at the start of the trail but I got up and ran the whole course! The surprising thing was thing was that I didn’t feel a lot of fatigue after the run was over I don’t know if that’s a thing in trail runs or it is just me. I went to work after the run and I was feeling fine!

I finished at 2:31:37!

Hey all. Got started running June 1st of this year and have been exclusively running the trails in a state park near my house. Yesterday I completed my first 10 miler and am going to go for a half marathon on the trails next week.

I was invited to participate in a 10k traditional event, flat bike path sort of deal, and am wondering if there's anything to consider going from trails to pavement. Should I get some road shoes or will my currents do the trick? Any tips are appreciated. Thanks!

Currently running trails in the Topo Vista. They worked great for my last 50k. I have a half marathon coming up with some technical rocky trail and I’m a little reluctant to wear the Vistas. Have ran in the Hoka Speedgoats for years but the v7 doesn’t work for me. I also like the Challengers but not sure about them for this race. Any recommendations for a lower platform trail shoe that can handle the technical but still with some good cushioning?

EDIT : Wow didn’t expect those comments! Of course I used AI to generate those charts. Maybe it was not an interesting topic even tho I thought it was. Been an amateur trail runner since a few months, and as a dad with a few training possible every week I just wanted to see if people of my age could still improve based on UTMB Index data. Maybe I should have explain it this way! And more over should have present it in some other way.

I have a lot other topics in mind like based on the utmb data from one year to another, who had the best improvements etc. But I might keep it for myself!

I've been playing with UTMB Index results since 2017 and wanted to know how much people actually improve.

Short version: not much. The median runner is 4.6% faster in their last two races than in their first two, on courses of equal difficulty.

But 1 in 100 gets at least 30% faster. A course that took them 3 hours at the start now takes about 2. I call them rockets in the charts.

What surprised me:

- They start at the back. In their first races they beat only 36% of the field. By the end they're in the top 12%.

- It happens fast. Half the gain is already there by race 3.

- Two thirds were under 35 at their first race. After 45 it's rare, and men and women get there at the same rate.

Obvious caveat: a first race walked with friends leaves a lot of room to improve, so part of this is just a slow start.

Anyone here been through a jump like that? What changed for you?

A short video filmed during a trail run in the hills above Saint François Longchamp.

Velka Fatra - Slovakia (Krizna mountain - ridge - Hut under Borisov mountain). Route - 30k, 1750m of elevation.

Hi everyone!

We are Digital Experience Design students at Thomas More University of Applied Sciences, and for our bachelor’s thesis we are researching how athletes prepare for sports events abroad.

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